Born in 1963 in Osaka. Partially graduated from Ritsumeikan University in law. After university enrollment, he became engrossed in world fantasy and all kinds of games, and began writing game introductions in various magazines.

Blood type A, cancer zodiac sign. Hobbies stretch a wide range from billiards, horse racing, and pachinko, to gaming, of course, both board games and personal computer games.

In the land of the Goddess of Destruction's death, two heroic men collided! (from "The Dark Emperor")

"Spirit of Water, Undine......" Spinning mysteriously echoing words, Pirotess stood on the sea's surface. (from "Setting Sail")

Reflecting the flames that roasted the Forest of Darkness, the northern sky burned red. The smoke rose higher and higher, stretching thickly in the sky like rain clouds. The sky would be covered soon.

That must be the mercy of the gods, Pirotess thought. That or the whimsy of an evil god.

The Dark Elves, although feared as evil spirits, thought no differently of their precious homeland than the High Elves. In ancient times, when the forest spirits had flourished, it had been the same. The only differences were the aspect of darkness instead of light in the trees of the forest, and the existence of Dark Elves, who inherited that aspect of darkness, instead of High Elves. Snatching it away like this, it was parasitic.

The Dark Elves' domination over other races may have been their true nature as elves. The forest not only gave blessing, there was something else, something no one knew about because it was continually being snatched away...

Pirotess now stood on the single boat floating in the harbor.

Many times already, she had come up on deck and turned her eyes to the highway that stretched north from the harbor. With her silver-white hair whipping in the sea breeze, she was always afraid she had overlooked some figure walking in from the highway.

On the other side of the highway was the Imperial capital city, the Dark Town Pelsay, but the capital city had probably already been trampled by the so-called righteous troops who had come on a military campaign from the main island of Lodoss.

Now, the Forest of Darkness, the holy ground of demons and evil beasts, was enveloped in flames, and the main temple of the Dark God Falaris, with its doctrine of total freedom, had fallen into enemy hands. The evil dragon Narse, who had come to protect the main temple, had been witnessed flying away into the eastern sky.

Marmo, the feared Dark Island, had already been conquered. The Empire's ambition, unification of Lodoss, had died.

And so the surviving people of that Empire were now making preparations to set sail. They were trying to escape their island homeland and aim for a new world.

This was the will of one man, the man called the Black General. His name was Ashram. Pirotess vowed her loyalty to only one man - him. And so, with her lifetime exceeding one hundred years, she dedicated her love to a man for the first time.

The fleet planned to depart upon Ashram's return.

However, his figure was as yet unseen.

At that time, Pirotess became aware of a man with a crimson sunburn approaching. Her heart, which had been floating out in space, snapped back to reality.

The man was the captain of the armed merchant fleet, Drett. His fleet, in peacetimes, attacked the merchant vessels of other countries and laid waste to coastal villages. In war times, it transported goods and soldiers as a war ship for the Empire, and acted as a military ship in sea battles against other countries. Simply put, they were pirates under the direct management of the Empire.

"Prepared to set sail yet?" Pirotess asked the Captain, suppressing the emotions in her heart.

For the past several weeks, she knew, he and all of his underlings had been working without sleep or rest. There was a question beyond that one. With the northern sky in that condition, the imminent enemy attack was not a mystery.

"It'd be impossible to call ourselves prepared even several years from now. Leaving for foreign waters in this type of fleet, it's like leaving for our deaths," Drett shouted, his sunburned face turning purple.

"If we remain on this island we will certainly die," Pirotess retorted, deliberately cold. "Your life will be spent in several decades at best. To throw it away here is wasteful and empty."

"Even with your life as long as it is, you must have the same desire not to die!

"The loading of the foodstuffs and drinking water is finished. I've stationed skilled sailors on every boat. If only for sailing, we're prepared to leave any time."

"If that's the case, such an answer from the beginning would have been nice." After speaking so mockingly, Pirotess showed the captain a smile in thanks. The fact that it worked like a charm spell from the forest spirit Dryad was understandable. As a Dark Elven female, she had an abundant chest, and her smile had an effect similar to that of a charm spell on human males.

"When he returns, we'll leave right away." Captain Drett, his expression revealing his bewilderment, turned his back to Pirotess and left at quick pace toward the stern.

The eyes in those undesirable lumps of men were only good for seeing gold and women, and after that sake, but they were doing what they should. His skill was great, making Marmo's military retreat from Kanon a success.

"Next time I ask..." Pirotess replayed a voice in her heart.

Besides all this, the solidarity of the people who had up until now been residents of the Dark Island had not been won. Even when Emperor Beld was alive, during the time of his subordinating influence, secret feuds had been carried out.

Now Ruzelb, chieftain of the elven tribe, was ash along with the Forest of Darkness. The religious order of the Dark God had collapsed and the High Priest Sheodle had probably gone to meet the Dark God personally. The leader of the Court Magicians, Vagnard, had requested a group of subordinate magicians from Ashram and gone somewhere, too.

The people of the Marmo Empire, who chose a difficult life over and easy death, everyone awaited the return and commands of the Black General Ashram.

But the Black General had not yet appeared.

Ashram was leading the elite Dark Knight Corps as they fought in the northern port town of Salbad in order to earn another week for the escape preparations. During the fierce fighting in Salbad, about half their number had been driven to heroic deaths. Through their sacrifice, preparations for the escape had somehow been put in order.

The remaining knights had arrived in the harbor yesterday. Only one man, only Ashram, had not come. In Adjutant General Hicks' speech, he had said that Ashram has stopped in at the imperial capital Pelsay to make his final farewell to the throne.

But by now, the master was not at the throne. Pirotess felt irritation and jealousy, and other complicated emotions.

In the end, it would probably be said that the Marmo Empire could not escape from the influence of its mighty founding emperor. Even with a hero like Ashram, it was so. He could not surpass Beld's reputation. This was possibly because he himself was under the impression that it was unsurpassed.

Pirotess considered this irritating. To surpass a dead man should not be possible. There was no one who could bring down heroes of ancient legend.

Even if he realized this, he might not be able to go beyond the recent defeats.

There had been no heir to the throne, and so the council system that had ruled Dark Town before the Empire was revived by Beld was resurrected, and the Empire was managed by four powerful men via a parliamentary system. The result was that command of the Marmo military grew conspicuously weak. If the entire army had moved at the will of one man, the outcome of many battles may have been different.

But that too was in the past. This sea voyage would be just as harsh as the past battles, as harsh as recent battles. For this unsafe sea voyage to be a success, a powerful leader was necessary. Bearing that responsibility was none other than Ashram.

With prayer-like emotions, Pirotess once again turned her eyes to the highway.

Already, the sun was leaning in the western sky, and twilight was approaching. Indeed, only the northern sky was red as if it were a glowing sunset.

In the direction of the highway, human figures were seen at that moment.

Three human figures.

One man among them straddled a horse, while another man held the reins in his hand. The third one she thought looked like a child.

"Ashram?" Pirotess strained her eyes.

Dark Elven eyesight far surpassed that of humans. In addition, female shamans were able to see things that ordinary humans were not able to catch, and even in pitch blackness their eyesight scarcely weakened.

As the three figures came closer, she became certain that one of them was Ashram. He was the man riding the horse. The uneasiness in her chest passed, disappearing like a clearing fog. There was still the question of who the other two were, but if this truly was Ashram's safe return, it wasn't a question of any concern.

Pirotess informed the nearby crew that the Black General was safe, that he had returned. They left for a small receiving boat as the sun fell, and the command went up anew for the fleet to set sail.

"Lord Ashram!"

The crew, their faces shining as they announced in loud voices the return of the Black General, ran past Captain Drett, who was giving order from the stern. In response to those voices, the entire crew came up on the deck one after the other, and gathered on the ship's side where Pirotess was, watching for Ashram's arrival.

The boat's center of gravity changed, and it started tilting.

"Back to your posts!" Captain Drett's shouting was heard from the stern.

Dropping the small boat onto the surface, the sailors one by one dove into the sea and crowded on board.

"Stupid bastards! If you all get in, you'll sink before you make it to Ashram!!" The Captain's cries were heard once again.

"We'll swim back," someone answered.

Pirotess had also thought to go out to meet Ashram, but she was off to a late start. Ashram might already be waiting to embark by the time she got there.

Pirotess once again turned her eyes to the highway, wearing a wry smile.

At that moment, her expression froze. From behind Ashram's group the forms of about twenty knights had appeared. The entire group was covered in pure white armor.

"Holy Knights?" Pirotess was tense.

Were these the only ones in pursuit? Or perhaps it was impossible to tell if there would be more. A few of the visible twenty knights were already overtaking the point from which Ashram would embark. Looking down, most of the sailors crowded on board the small receiving boat didn't have any weapons, anything even resembling weapons. Besides that, they probably weren't even aware of the situation.

"Undine, spirit of water..."

Pirotess, spinning mysteriously echoing words not from any Lodoss or Elven language, jumped across the rope that stretched on the ship's side as though she were falling from a boat.

Pirotess fell towards the sea, sketching a parabola. She dropped down and stood on the sea's surface. It was as though that place was solid earth. She was able to command the water spirits, and had chanted a spirit magic spell that allowed her to walk freely on the water's surface.

In the evening calm, on the quiet sea, Pirotess ran with all her strength. Dark Elven speed was incredible, and she instantly overtook the small boat, going ashore at the harbor's shore wall.

Passing the sparse human dwellings, she ran towards Ashram. The battle would probably begin before she arrived, but she believed that Ashram would not be toppled easily.

Of course, there really were a lot of enemies. Besides of which, they were formal knights of the Holy Kingdom of Valis. They were different from common fighters like militiamen or demons. With magic it was different, but with a blade, things could be made painful for a number of opponents.

While running, Pirotess concentrated the spirit gods in order to protect the Black General with her spirit magic. If magically assisted, warriors would be able to exhibit many times their natural strength.

As she pulled out of the harbor, the highway gently sloped upward. As she topped the hill, the Holy Knights were scowling at Ashram. The Holy Knights were circled around the three people of Ashram's group, and were prepared to attack at any moment.

Ashram, atop his horse, had not drawn his sword, and was scowling back at the Holy Knights.

"Lord Ashram!" Pirotess cried out as loudly as she could. The distance was still considerable, but some of the Holy Knights noticed her and turned around. However, no one came galloping towards her. They surrounded Ashram as if under a spell, and did not move.

Pirotess ran the last distance at a stroke and halted twenty paces from the Holy Knights. Crossing her arms before her chest, she assumed a stance, prepared to chant magic at any time.

"Coming to meet me wasn't too much trouble, was it?" Ashram said from atop his horse. As if he were unaware of the Holy Knights, he advanced his horse. The wheel of Holy Knights surrounding him moved right along with him. "You're uninjured at least."

Her chest loosened as his voice brushed against her ears. A tear ran down her cheek but she hurriedly brushed it away. She did not want to look like a trite little teenage girl. Ashram probably didn't want to see such things either.

"These people?" Pirotess asked about the two people on either side of Ashram, not about the Holy Knights.

"My followers, such as they are, though they haven't got much hope while doing so."

"Followers? Is that so?" Pirotess said to Ashram, looking at the two people another time.

She was surprised to see that the one who had looked like a child was a grasslands elf, a Grassrunner. There were no settlements of that elven race on Lodoss. He was probably a traveler from across the northern continent.

He seemed completely unafraid of the situation or the circle of surrounding Holy Knights, showing a cheerful smile. At his hips hung a small blade, and in his breast pocket a number of daggers had been hidden. Grassrunners were natural born thieves, hunters. Even if the Holy Knights began to slash at him in earnest, they probably wouldn't even graze him. It was his atmosphere that made her think so, but he was a small elf.

As for the other person, he looked like a warrior priest who served the God of War, Mairi. On top of a chain-mail katabira he wore priest's clothing embroidered in the pattern of Mairi. He had a magnificent physique; he was probably past forty. Wielding a war hammer with one hand, he silently threatened the Holy Knights.

"Are preparations for the journey in order?" Ashram asked. As usual, he didn't consider the surrounding Holy Knights.

I didn't come to rescue him then, Pirotess thought. Even with ten times the number of Holy Knights he could cut them all down.

"Any time," Pirotess answered, lowering her head slightly.

"I hope it wasn't any trouble."

"If you want to thank someone, you should meet with Captain Drett. After that, the sailors who are about to show up."

During the short conversation between Ashram and Pirotess, the Holy Knights seemed to come back to themselves. Condensing their encircling wheel slightly, they gripped their blades and shields.

"Do not try to flee, Black General!" on of the Holy Knights said.

"Your pursuit, is it on orders from the king of Valis?" Ashram asked the man, glaring at him.

"It's true, the kingdom is not pursuing you. But we have no intention of running from you. Your crimes against the subjects of Valis are punishable by death!"

"You defy the king's orders; are you still Holy Knights? The outcome of this bloodbath will not be determined by the will of your god," said the warrior priest of the god of battles to the Holy Knights in a severe tone.

"Toppling evil men is the will of Falis the Most High," the youngest Holy Knight retorted, overwhelmed by the passion of the pursuit.

"Do you children have a personal grudge against me?" Ashram teasingly asked the young Holy Knight.

"We, the Holy Knights, do not battle for such reasons!" the young Holy Knight replied vigorously.

"In that case, is it for the sake of great achievement?" Ashram inquired further.

"We are defying the king's orders. No one here considers it a great achievement. We attack you in order to uphold the laws of the Most High. Not as Holy Knights, but as Free Knights!"

"Free Knights?" At the young knight's reply, Ashram's eyebrow moved ever so slightly. "You fools call yourselves Free Knights?" Ashram said, grabbing his sword, which had been hanging from his horse's saddle.

It was a black-bladed great sword.

That magic great sword had once belonged to a Demon Lord who came one step away from destroying Lodoss. The late emperor Beld had stolen it, Ashram had inherited it.

Occasionally, it would cross into other hands, but it soon returned to him. The demon sword called "The Blade of the Demon Lord" and "Soul Crusher" was rumored to choose its owner. If one was not truly a brave man, he wouldn't even be able to hold it in his hand.

Ashram undid the clasp attached to his scabbard with his left thumb. The metal scabbard fell to the ground, making a shrill noise.

Tensions ran high among the Holy Knights.

"I know the true Free Knight. That man is free from the dogmas of gods and the authorities of kings, and is true only to his own heart. You children who depend on a god and rely on a country, you are unqualified to call yourselves Free Knights. If it had been a personal grudge, if it had been for great achievement, I had intended to let you return to your homes. However, it is now inexcusable."

Ashram unsheathed his great sword with one hand and turned to face the Holy Knights head on, advancing his horse effortlessly.

"Kill him!" the eldest Holy Knight admonished.

He was probably the Knight-Captain, so Ashram altered his aim. This man was no different in having resolved to take up pursuit. He had used the words "Free Knight" and probably carried his men along with him.

"King of the wind..." Pirotess began chanting a spirit magic spell.

Hearing this, Ashram cried out, "Help is not necessary!" It was a strong tone that did not allow for argument. Pirotess immediately complied with the order.

The warrior priest, who had begun chanting sacred magic, also broke off his aria. The other person, the Grassrunner, didn't look as if he had ever intended to fight, and was watching the battle between Ashram and the Holy Knights with a smile on his face, as if it were a carnival attraction.

With his first blow, Ashram cut down the Knight in front of him. The Holy Knight, split open from mouth and shoulder to chest, fell to the ground, spewing splashes of blood. Holy Knights on both sides of him grabbed their swords, but they were too far away to serve any purpose, and couldn't reach Ashram.

Concealed in the dark-colored armor that Ashram wore was a demon strength that made his enemies' attacks err. It had the same effect as the spell "Shadow Body," which was based on the strength of Shadow, the spirit of darkness.

With one stroke each, Ashram buried two men who came to attack him. The first man had his skull cracked and the other man had his stomach split open. Pouring out gray matter and viscera, the two men breathed their last, dying atop their horses.

"Form up!" ordered a man who now seemed to be the Knight-Captain ordered in a shrill voice. Responding to the order, the young Holy Knight and two other men marshaled their horses and came charging at Ashram. They had replaced their swords with lances.

With desperate force, the three Holy Knights drew near.

Ashram was unruffled. He held the Soul Crusher low on its hilt.

The lances of the three Holy Knights stretched towards Ashram. Just before they would have reached his armor, he thrust the magic blade upwards. The three spears were snapped in half.

The four horses jumbled together and collided. Failing to manipulate the reins, two Holy Knights fell from their horses. Ashram, manipulating his reins, quickly righted himself with one hand, and trampled the head of one of the men with the horse's hoof. There was the dull sound of his skull breaking.

The other man tried to stand up, and this time Ashram kicked the horse's hind legs at the man. Taking a powerful blow to the chest, that Holy Knight danced through the air and hit the ground. Making a low moan, the Holy Knight fainted in agony.

After that, Ashram thrust the Soul Crusher into the throat of the young knight, who had managed to stop his horse.

His sight not changing, the young knight fell to the ground, face turned upwards, blood spewing from his mouth in bubbles.

"A ghost...?" the Knight-Captain muttered in a trembling voice. In one instant, he had lost six companions, and a number of Holy Knights were shrieking; he began to run.

"Is that something the Free Knight would do?" Ashram shot ridiculing words at the backs of the fleeing Holy Knights.

The Holy Knights' circle had come loose, and Pirotess ran up to Ashram.

"Those men, is it all right that they run away?"

"Leave them," Ashram answered disinterestedly, turning slowly towards the remaining ten or so Holy Knights.

"Lord Ashram!" At that time, the slow sailors finally came running. To the sailors, who were about to pounce on the Holy Knights with élan, Ashram stretched out his right arm, holding the great sword straight out, silently controlling them.

As if they were trained soldiers, the sailors halted. No one spoke a word. Many of the sailors had well-used curved daggers on them, but every person had absolutely straight faces. If Ashram ordered it, they would begin an attack instantly.

"Those faces, surely you aren't feeling any regret," Ashram turned to the Holy Knights. "If you had won you long-awaited battle, you would not be about to lose your lives in this manner. It's all right to curse your own stupidity."

"Wait!" the man who was the Knight-Captain said, throwing his sword from his hand. "I surrender. If you want it, we'll pay ransom money."

"Sorry, but you will not be receiving any mercy." Ashram showed a brutal smile. "You boys believe in a most high god. In death, you'll probably show up in heaven. If that's the case, what do you have to fear?"

Ashram lifted the Soul Crusher above his head and brought it back down among the Holy Knights.

With one stroke, he bisected the chest of the Knight-Captain who had been begging for his life. After that, the battle was definitely one-sided.

The Holy Knights, resigning themselves to their fate, frantically clutched for their swords, but there was no chance of anyone inflicting injury on Ashram.

As the last man was decapitated and fell from his horse, Ashram was not even breathing raggedly.

Pirotess on the other hand, was gasping for breath staring at Ashram's fighting style. These men had been injured by the blade, she knew, but she hadn't thought he could tear into twenty Holy Knights so vividly.

It closely resembled the fighting style of the late emperor Beld.

"It's beautiful!" As if far away, Pirotess gazed at Ashram in devotion and respect.

Mysteriously, he gave her an evil, chastising look. "Swinging this magic blade, I want it to end," Ashram said unexpectedly.

"You've had enough of fighting?"

"Never. Only, winning with this blade, I don't realize the true meaning of victory. Crossing swords with that man, I understood."

"The Free Knight, Parn?" That would explain why Ashram was so angry at the Holy Knights for pretending to be Free Knights.

Pirotess had never met the man called Parn. However, when Ashram was stationed in the kingdom of Kanon, he had fought the man continually. There had been a war of liberation with Kanon's dominators. For many years, the Free Knight had been Ashram's greatest enemy.

"In the hallway of the Imperial Castle, I met the boy. We crossed swords, testing each other's strength. We had on hundred rounds of battle, and I was considered victorious with fifty-one rounds. If we consider only that part of things, I took ten minutes. Taking each other's lives in that place would have been pointless, so we both collected our weapons."

"That's mysterious, being haggard by the Free Knight like that."

"Indeed." Ashram showed a wry smile. "However, because of you I realized something. Once, in trying to surpass His Majesty Beld, I devoted myself to the eager study of this blade. But winning against someone with this sword in my hand is not surpassing anyone."

"I'm afraid a General will have some trouble surpassing a late emperor. It is not possible to surpass dead men." Even leaving out Beld's name, Pirotess unintentionally spoke her true feelings.

"If that's so, how will you do it?" Pirotess asked, not understanding what Ashram meant.

"Simple. I too must become a dead man. Then this skilled troubadour will spread my praises." Ashram glanced back at the grasslands elf, who was foraging around in the pockets of the Holy Knights for anything valuable. Realizing that he was being stared at, the Grassrunner showed a big smile.

"Just as I expected, the Holy Knights have money! The new kingdom can put this money to good use."

"I should hope so," Ashram answered, and turned back to the sailors, who were standing respectfully, sending heated looks towards the Grassrunner.

"No problem."

Ashram reared his horse before the sailors. Its hoof hit the ground with a light sound.

Hoisting the Soul Crusher towards the heavens, he declared, "Set sail! We aim for a new world!!"

At that, the sailors marveled as if it were a sign, and began shouting with delight. Those voices reached the fleet floating in the harbor, and new voices began to bubble back, riding on the sea breezes, jubilant at the Black General's return.

Pirotess understood.

On this day, the Marmo Empire was lost. However, the people of Marmo had gained a new king.

From this day forth, they would no longer call Ashram the Black General. It would not be wrong to call him king. He would be crowned the Drifting King, ruler of a drifting people, beginning a sea voyage, escaping their homeland and searching for a new world......