Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash vol. 1

23. Prologue

A bell was ringing. The bell telling them it was 6:00 in the afternoon. When the last echoes of the seventh chiming of the bells reluctantly sank into the town and disappeared, night fell on Alterna.

The bells only rang until 6:00, and they would not be rung again until 6:00 in the morning the next day. It was the time when craftspeople who woke up early in the morning for work would be chowing down on dinner and having an evening drink. Many businesses took the 6:00 bell as a sign to close for the day.

It was a time of day when food stalls did more business and the taverns began to fill up.

At Sherry's Tavern, where a great many volunteer soldiers gather to refresh their spirits for the coming day, from now until late at night were truly their busiest hours.

Even considering that, tonight was especially lively.

It wasn't just volunteer soldiers. Old craftsmen, young trainees, portly merchants, glamorous ladies of the night, and even soldiers of the Frontier Army were there.

People, people, people as far as the eye could see. To the point that the sizable, two-floor establishment began to feel cramped.

Of course, all the seats were taken. Those without seats stood. Not just the first and second floor, but the stairs were filled with people, as well.

Everyone had crowded into Sherry's Tavern after hearing a certain rumor.

Famous volunteer soldiers were usually referred to as So-and-So of Clan Such-and-Such.

Setting aside the area around Alterna, as you went further from the human race's sphere of power, the monsters and hostile races became stronger or relied on their greater numbers to kill humans. Clans were an organization born of necessity, and those seeking to achieve more than a certain degree of success knew they should participate in one. They had to. You could even call it necessary.

And yet, one group that had yet to join any clan: a group of four volunteer soldiers, one elf, and the golem Zenmai, who had been created by one of the volunteer soldiers, the necromancer Pingo. Six people in total had survived their battles.

As a result, they were praised as the greatest of all volunteer soldiers, and their fame had spread throughout Alterna. To this day, they were the only volunteer soldiers ever invited to dine with the Margrave of Alterna, Garlan Vedoy. What's more, they had turned him down.

"Soma, don't you think it's about time?"

When the alluring woman spoke to Soma, he rose from his seat. Just because of that, the noise died down and a silence fell over the tavern.

This was a given, of course. Each and every one of them was here to hear Soma's announcement. If they didn't quietly listen when Soma opened his mouth, what would be the point? After all, today was a day to be commemorated.

That Soma would finally be forming a clan. As a result, he would be recruiting comrades, they said.

But was that true? After all, they were just rumors. False ones, possibly. Of course, there were doubters, but Soma himself had appeared in Sherry's Tavern. And now, finally, he was about to speak before the masses.

"Shima."

When Soma called her name, the alluring woman smiled and nodded slightly.

"Yes."

Then Soma turned to the man with dreadlocks.

"Kemuri."

"Yeah," the man with dreadlocks said, twisting his neck left and right lethargically.

Soma turned to look at a childlike man.

"Pingo."

"...Yeah," Pingo looked downward and sighed. "I don't like that sort of thing."

"I see," Soma's lips loosened slightly and he cast a look at the golem wearing a frightening mask.

"Zenmai."

Zenmai slowly nodded his head.

Lastly, Soma fixed his gaze on the elf.

"Lilia."

Lilia's vivid, sapphire eyes stared back at Soma.

"Yes, Soma."

Soma closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Then, moving only his lips, he called another name.

Nino.

She was gone now.

After Soma and the others had lost Nino, who had once been their party's priest, Kemuri had changed classes from warrior to paladin. Shima had given up on being a thief, learning to become a shaman in the Shadow Forest where the elves lived. Lilia had joined the party.

Nino was dead. Soma had begun searching for a way to bring her back, but he hadn't found one yet. He thought there might be some lead in the hinterlands of the territory of the former Kingdom of Ishmal, where the remains of No-Life King were said to sleep.

Though, that said, nothing was for certain. There might be no means of reviving the dead in this world.

Not in this world.

However, what was this world, really? Where had they come to this world from? To begin with, this ridiculous world, where the moon shone red and aberrant monsters ran free like it was perfectly normal, was it actually real?

It had been a while ago, but Kemuri had said, "You know, it's almost like a game," and Soma had responded, "Yeah, it is." At the time, he had certainly thought so, but the two had quickly found they didn't understand what they meant.

What was a game?

Something was wrong.

Those feelings of wrongness grew weak and he nearly forgot them, but now Soma carved them into his heart.

If this world was not real, if it was fake, where was the real world to be found? And if Soma and the others came from there, what had become of Nino, who had died in this fake world? If they could return to their own world, might Nino still be there?

It was a possibility. Just a possibility. Still, it was a possibility. They couldn't say for sure that it wasn't possible.

Soma opened his eyes.

"—We have decided to form a clan."

A commotion arose and the whole tavern shook.

"Our goal is to invade Undead DC in the former Kingdom of Ishmal." Even without having to raise it, Soma's voice carried well. Just by issuing a low shout, timid monsters would turn tail and flee. Any monster that could hold firm before Soma was a big deal. "We have information that there are omens suggesting the revival of No-Life King. We will investigate this, and, if No-Life King has revived, we will immediately destroy him once more. Of course, this will not be easy. We will need to find a method to accomplish that. We will need power, as well. The six of us alone are not enough. We need a greater power."

The volunteer soldiers raised their voices in joy while the curious onlookers cheered. The air was ready to burst with all of the voices, clapping, and whistling.

Soma was half-deceiving them. However, for those he recognized as trustworthy, he intended to eventually tell them his true objective.

"Please, lend us your hands! If you feel this is for you, come and offer to participate!"

"The name! What's the clan's name?!" someone shouted.

Soma nodded. "—From this moment onward, we call ourselves the Day Breakers! You who are brave, you who are wise, you who are noble, you who are decisive and awe-inspiring, come unto me! If you fear not death, will fight death, and seek life when faced with death, whoever you are, brave ones, I will welcome you!"

Nino, Soma whispered in his heart, standing the center of the excitement. I will solve the mystery of this world. Then, someday, I will go to meet you.

—That his fate would become entwined with theirs, Haruhiro had no way of knowing.