L.G.D.K! Special – The History of Lost Justice (Part 6)

Author’s Note: And we’re finally here, the sixth and final part of “The History of Lost Justice”. This part has two different warnings I mist give. One, this is timeskip central. Seriously, there’s a lot of time skips in this part. The next is possibly a spoiler. This confirms something that’s obvious in the main story but not yet confirmed as well. So if you really want to confirm it, then be sure to read this to the end.

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L.G.D.K! Special – The History of Lost Justice (Part 6)

Well… that was a huge mess. As in all of the bodies that lay on the ground around me. Daisuke had forced me into a special contract before giving me the writ that gave me permission to marry Nagisa. The terms were that I had to waver my right to be next in line to be head, which was obvious due to the fact I was human. Next was that we couldn’t take each others surnames, despite the fact I’m marrying into his family. And then… our children had to take the Inuharu name. So far… he’s trying to make it so that I couldn’t take Nagisa or our children outside of Ritme. Apparently he really cares about his little girl. Well… enough to try to use a loophole.

I was supposed to meet Nagisa at the shack where she confessed her love to me. There, I was going to officially ask her to be my bride. However… I was ambushed my multiple Inuharu soldiers. Some of them were even part of the Strays, my unit. It felt like the end of a revolution in Boromarl again. But when the shack was in sight, it wasn’t over. There was one more opponent, Nagisa’s personal Shadow; Ryunosuke.

“So you’ve survived, human?” (Ryunosuke)

“I take it that you were in on this?”

“Lord Daisuke told me about it because it is my duty to protect Nagisa-sama.” (Ryunosuke)

“Really now? How many times do I gotta kick your ass before it sinks in? Or how many more of Inarihime’s punishments do you wanna endure? Because there’s rules for everyone. And the rules you follow state that Shadows can’t have romantic relationships with their masters.”

“I know this, but I shall bear with it. I will smite you and present your head to my lady, proving that I am better.” (Ryunosuke)

“You’re an idiot.”

“Enough words, human! You shall not pass!” (Ryunosuke)

He then grabbed his ninjatō and charged. If it weren’t for the fact that it’s not the old world, I would had thought he watched too many Yamato period dramas? Either way, this was finished before it even started. I went for a quick draw, but he already disappeared and reappeared from behind me. I already had my left revolver out and blocked his attack. He then went invisible, but that was his biggest mistake. It had rained recently, and the grass was still wet. When I saw where he was stepping, I fired a shot. When it caused him to become visible again, I saw that I got one of his thighs. It caused him to fall.

“But… how?” (Ryunosuke)

“You’re more than a thousand years too early if you think you can beat me.”

“Bastard!” (Ryunosuke)

He then threw a kunai, but I caught it before it could hit my face.

“The thing about throwing knives… they’re slower than bullets. As I’ve spent the last two years dodging bullets, anything slower is just useless on me.”

I’ve had experience with throwing knives from when I fought in Boromarl, one of my former comrades was an expert with them. The soldiers of that revolutionary army used them for playing darts, so I had to get good to win back the money I’d lose playing with those guys. So I threw the kunai back at Ryunosuke… it stuck in his other thigh.

“Why… just why can’t I defeat you!?” (Ryunosuke)

“That answer lies within yourself.”

Before anything else can happen, I heard clapping. It was Inarihime coming out from the shadows.

“Well done, Abel-kun.” (Inarihime)

“Shouldn’t that suffix be “san” as I was born almost a thousand years before ya came to this world?”

“Even if you put it like that, you were frozen in ice. But now is not the time for that argument. Young Nagisa is waiting for you, yes?” (Inarihime)

I swear… one of these days we will get that thing sorted out. Either way, she was right. Now was not the time for it. I headed to the shack and opened the door. And inside, there was a tied-up Nagisa.

“What the hell?”

I grabbed my knife and cut the ropes before removing the gag. The first thing she did was hug me.

“Abel-san…” (Nagisa)

“Before I get to why I’m here, why were you tied up?”

“That was Ryunosuke’s doing. He said that he was doing it to protect me, but I know better.” (Nagisa)

“In that idiot’s head, he was protecting ya. Still, it’s over. Look?”

I then showed her the writ. She was very happy.

“So does this mean…” (Nagisa)

“Nagisa Inuharu, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” (Nagisa)

We then shared what was our second kiss. I princess carried her outside of the shack to see Ryunosuke tied up by Inarihime. She was grinning from ear to ear.

“I see that this is finally over, yes?” (Inarihime)

“It is, Inarihime-sama.” (Nagisa)

“Too bad, Abel-kun would had made a good second husband.” (Inarihime)

“Don’t you even start.”

We all ended up laughing. Within the week, I married Nagisa. Of course we had to go through their pre-marriage ritual where we had our genders swapped the night before the wedding, that was hell. Especially trying to hold back Nagisa from raping me. But we survived and the wedding went off without too much of a hitch. I only say that because a lot of the Inuharu clan hated me. I was both human and stole the heart of the head’s daughter, so in their minds the hatred was justified. I didn’t care, I got to marry on my own terms.

As the months passed, things only went downhill. Nagisa’s brother Kenshiro married the daughter of the head of the Nekotaru clan, claiming it was in protest for me marrying his sister. But everyone knew the truth, he did it for the dowry. And after I turned twenty, our children were born. As twins run in both our families, I saw it coming. The first born was a coyote half-man boy and the second was a human girl. The midwife said that them being born as completely different races was a miracle. We were looking at the sunset after Nagisa had recovered, deciding on names.

“What do you think, Abel-san?” (Nagisa)

“Sorry, all the names I can think of are from the Old World. I don’t want these little guys to know about that place.”

“Hmm… what about Hayate and Fuko?” (Nagisa)

“Wait… what?”

“Hayate means “the wind” and Fuko means “child of the wind”. And you know what the wind itself stands for?” (Nagisa)

“Not really.”

“The wind stands for freedom, it goes wherever it wants to. You can block it with shelter, but you cannot stop it. It will go around what it cannot blow down. So it’s free to go as it pleases.” (Nagisa)

“That… makes too much sense.”

It does, the wind is the only thing in this world that has absolute freedom. Unlike water, you can’t contain it. And unlike fire, you can’t put it out. Ironically, it as a freedom that Libertonia itself could never give it’s citizens under the stripe-spangled banner.

“It does, but what do you think?” (Nagisa)

“I think those names are perfect for our children.”

After we told Daisuke the names of the children, he deemed Hayate as the heir for the lordship of Yottsu. As Hayate’s a canine half-man and was born first, he fit the bill. But all that did was piss off Kenshiro even more. Thanks to Hayate’s birth, he could no longer become the heir. The one advantage that he saw of my being human was now gone. But as far as the clan was concerned, his marrying a Nekotaro was a bigger offense. Not even Daisuke himself could forgive him.

Sadly, I only got to have a year with my children. One night, they disappeared. And all of us were up in arms.

“Abel, how could you let this happen!?” (Daisuke)

“It was in the middle of the night, how should I know!?”

“Father, Abel-san, please do not fight?” (Nagisa)

We stopped for Nagisa’s sake as she was just as upset as we were. Inarihime herself arrived to investigate. All we could do was wait for her. And we were all anxious when she returned.

“Inarihime-sama, please have good news?” (Daisuke)

“I am afraid not. The one who took young Hayate and young Fuko was Ryunosuke.” (Inarihime)

“Wait… what!?”

I was pissed.

“He used a contraband item, a Ferry Ring to escape.” (Inarihime)

I knew about those things, usually adventurers use them for fast travel between locations that they had visited before. A teleportation device that used magic. But where the hell could he have gotten one? I know I didn’t have one on me when I entered Ritme.

“Any clue on where he is now?”

“According to the Shadows stationed near the southern gate entrance, he was seen sneaking out to Olko with the children.” (Inarihime)

Right there, my instincts kicked in.

“Someone prepare a horse.”

“Abel-san, you mean you’re–” (Nagisa)

“I’ll bring them home.”

“You better. Until the heir has been brought back unharmed, you are forbidden from entering Yottsu.” (Daisuke)

“Father?” (Nagisa)

“Until we can get the clan to agree on it, we cannot send Shadows. This is a personal matter for the Inuharu clan.” (Daisuke)

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring them back.”

As Daisuke ordered a vassal to prepare a horse, I went back to me and Nagisa’s room. Inside of an old chest, I had stored my old clothing. What I was wearing now was basic wear in Ritme, so I couldn’t be seen in that. After getting dressed, Nagisa was at the doorway.

“Abel-san, please save our children and return safely?” (Nagisa)

“I’ll do my best.”

I went to the stables and hopped on the prepared horse. As I rode to the southern border, Inarihime herself had caught up to me on horseback herself.

“Abel-kun, take this.” (Inarihime)

I grabbed the piece of paper she was holding.

“And this is…”

“With that writ, you can have the cooperation of any Shadow stationed outside of Ritme. I have already had word sent out about Ryunosuke.” (Inarihime)

“Thanks, but are ya sure you can’t do anything else?”

“The Shadows have rules. Including that they cannot interfere with a clan’s personal matters. So unless the clan can agree on it, we cannot rescue the children ourselves.” (Inarihime)

“And here you had me thinking that you were all-powerful?”

“Sorry to destroy your impression of me.” (Inarihime)

We then split up there. After the guards at the southern entrance let me through, I started tracking that bastard who took my kids. One of the many things I picked up in Boromarl other than knife fighting was tracking. And I had tracked him all the way to Stinwin when I lost him again. He went aboard a ship heading to a certain place. And if I wanted to catch up, I needed help. And there was only one person I could go to. After having the help from some of the Shadows stationed in Stinwin, I found that person. And had them sneak into his apartment to leave a letter to meet me at a certain bar in the capitol. I spent the day there until he arrived.

“It’s been a while, brother.”

“Abel? I thought I asked you to never come here?” (Cain)

He was a little angry, but I didn’t care.

“Look Cain, I need your help.”

“My help? You better not be after William.” (Cain)

“This has nothing to do with Billy Bob.”

He sat down on the stole next to me and ordered a whiskey. After his first shot, he finally asked.

“If this has nothing to do with William Host, then what?” (Cain)

“It’s about my kids, Cain.”

His face turned pale before he took another shot.

“You have kids, brother?” (Cain)

“Yeah, a boy and girl. They’re only a year old and they’ve been kidnapped.”

“So… you did move on?” (Cain)

“At least I’ve tried to. But I really need your help.”

“But what can I do?” (Cain)

“The bastard who took them left for Anthill Bay on a ship a few days ago. I need a ride.”

“I see… you could easily beat them there on a steamship.” (Cain)

“That’s the plan.”

“Look, this is risky. If William finds out that you were even on Stinwin, let alone on one of his ships… he will not be happy.” (Cain)

“Please? If not for me, then do it for your niece and nephew?”

“Is the great Abel Mechana actually begging for my help?” (Cain)

“If that’s what it takes to get my kids back, then yes I am.”

He laughed a little before taking another shot.

“We have a steamship that’s scheduled to deliver goods to Anthill Bay in three days time. I can have you hired on as a guard, but we will need to come up with a fake name. I can tell William that I personally interviewed you.” (Cain)

As he took that shot of whiskey, I gave him my alias.

“Just use Lost Justice.”

He choked on that shot.

“Wait… that’s the legendary mercenary in Boromarl who disappeared over a year ago. Oh brother, do not tell me that you’re Lost Justice?” (Cain)

“That’s a long story. But will you help me or not?”

“I will. However, I will be keeping this conversation off the record. If William were to find out that you’re Lost Justice amongst all that we have just conversed, he will be taking it as a threat.” (Cain)

“Thanks, brother.”

I stayed at an inn in the harbor town the ship was moored until it was time. Just to be sure, I covered the lower half of my face with a bandana to hide my identity. While out at sea, I saw the ship that Ryunosuke had boarded. But I had to wait my time. When I arrived at Anthill Bay, I stayed at the same hotel I had when waiting to go to Stinwin to get to Ritme the first time. It was a little ironic, but I didn’t care. I spent the days until the ship arrived gathering information. This town was in the hands of the Walton Gang, who use the Walton Trading Company as a front. And their boss was a huge enemy of Billy Bob’s, which I would had tried to use three years ago when I was awoken from my frozen slumber. But this has nothing to do with Billy Bob or his desire for world domination.

When Ryunosuke got off the boat, I had to stay hidden and bide my time. If I were to start something at the harbor, the Walton Gang would not stand for it. He was wearing a Stinwin suit complete with a Cravat tie. That evening, I made my move as he was heading south towards Boromarl.

“Did ya really think that you could hide from me?”

“Lost Justice? But… how?” (Ryunosuke)

“I have my ways. Now, are you gonna give the kids back quietly… or do I have to put a bullet between your eyes?”

“You do not deserve these children, o’ thief of Nagisa-sama’s heart!” (Ryonosuke)

He then put the basket that the children were in down before doing his transformation technique. That night, Anthill Bay was introduced to hell itself. Kunai, shuriken, and bullets were flying. He had gotten a lot better since the time I kicked his ass to propose to Nagisa. However, we were not the only ones to be involved when hell rained down on this town. The one thing I tried to avoid happened, the Walton Gang showed up. And their leader, had the eyes of a predator. That bold head with that Van Dyke styled beard, that was Walton himself. And the man at his side with the black crew cut and the walrus mustache, his right hand man Steve. And like all the men with them, they were wearing blue suits.

“What the hell do you lugs think you’re doing in my town!?” (Walton)

“None of your business.”

“Oh no, this is my business. I run this town, and I don’t care if you are Lost Justice. No one gets away with destroying my town!” (Walton)

Right there, a hail of gunfire from the sub-machine guns known as Gusenbergs rained down on us. As I fired shots back at the Walton Gang, I managed to get a clean shot on Ryunosuke. My MO, a bullet between his eyes. But sadly, I didn’t have time to grab the children. As I was running out of bullets, I was forced to flee Anthill Bay. Not to mention… I had taken in a few bullets myself. Before I had passed out, I ended up in the closest town in Boromarl. I had woken up in the doctor’s house a week later. And it was a few days later that I managed to get a hold of one of the Shadows. As they were hiding in the shadows, I didn’t get a clear look at the guy.

“So… what’s the situation?”

“The man known as Dale Walton has increased the security in Anthill Bay. Nothing can get in or out without his knowledge.” (Shadow)

“Shit… what about the kids?”

“He had them delivered to the local orphanage.” (Shadow)

“Great… now how am I going to get them?”

“I believe the retrieval of Yottsu’s heir and his sister will be impossible for a long time. But I already have orders.” (Shadow)

“Orders?”

“Yes. By order of the Inuharu clan, the heir of Yottsu will be retrieved on his eighteenth birthday.” (Shadow)

“Wait… his eighteenth birthday?”

“That is correct. That is when he will be old enough to inherit Yottsu’s lordship.” (Shadow)

“What about my daughter?”

“We have no orders when it comes to her.” (Shadow)

“Wait… what!?”

“You heard me, husband of Lady Nagisa.” (Shadow)

“But why?”

“It is because she has nothing to do with Yottsu’s transition of lordship. It was the choice of the Inuharu clan.” (Shadow)

Their choice? Those racist bastards, they are no different than the jerks in Portnew! I knew I should have smuggled Nagisa out of the country. But no, it’s because of the half-man race’s unique trait of their children possibly being one of them when mating with a partner of another race that left us stuck there. I could only hate Daisuke right now.

“Then what are we gonna do?”

“I do not have to do anything for the next seventeen years. But if you want to rescue your son and daughter in the mean time, you will have to do it yourself. Just remember what I had told you about it being too dangerous for you to enter Anthill Bay at the moment.” (Shadow)

And with that, the Shadow disappeared. I couldn’t be more pissed off at the moment, my children were so close yet so far. So unless anything happens to Walton anytime soon, I had no chances. And knowing that bastard from what I’ve learned when gathering information, he’s too stubborn to die.

I walked out into the Boromarl desert, and fell down on my knees. I clasped my hands together and prayed.

“Deity, I know that I don’t have the right as I’m from the Old World. But please, hear me? I need to save my children, but I don’t know what to do!”

I never thought that I would end up praying to the Deity. But I do know is that someone answered. A man in a faded tailcoat suit wearing a top hat with a handlebar mustache. I’ve ran into him before, but I don’t know his name. According to what I’ve heard about him, he’s just called the Mysterious Stranger.

“So one of the sons of the Old Word is praying to the Deity? Were you not a believer of Libertonia’s goddess long ago?” (Stranger)

“What do you want?”

I hated this guy. He gave off a vibe that would give anyone a chill down their spine. It’s like he’s human, and he’s not. And like he’s there, and he’s not at the same time. I’ve tried to shoot him before, but my bullets never hit. Which is strange because I never miss.

“Just figured that someone should answer your prayer. Sorry if I’m not who you were expecting.” (Stranger)

“So I get the closest thing to the devil?”

“No matter how you look at it, I’m all you’re going to get. Anyway, it’s not time.” (Stranger)

“What in the hell do ya mean by that?”

“Both those children have a destiny to fulfill, one that not even you who defies destiny can stop.” (Stranger)

“Wait… what?”

What the hell does he mean!?

“You’ve heard me. No matter how hard you try to fight it, they have a destiny that cannot be altered. But… it doesn’t mean that you’re left out.” (Stranger)

“Tell me what you mean, now!”

“Simple, one of them has been chosen by the Deity to be the next Hero in sixteen years. While the other will be playing an important role in the Hero’s tale.” (Stranger)

“Wait… how the hell can one of them be the next Hero? They’re my children.”

“The Deity works in mysterious ways. Not even I know what the Deity is thinking. All I know is that it was the destiny of your children to leave Ritme.” (Stranger)

I couldn’t take it anymore, I was beyond pissed off.

“So what?”

“I beg your pardon?” (Stranger)

“I don’t care how many years it takes, I’m gonna reunite my family. Screw destiny, I live life how I see fit. And what I see fit is for my family to be together, all of us!”

All the Mysterious Stranger could do was laugh, something I’ve never seen before.

“If you think you can defy destiny and the Deity itself, who am I to stop you? Do what you want, child of Freeda.” (Stranger)

And with that, he disappeared without a trace. I REALLY hate that guy, but now it was not the time for that. I got a hold of the Shadow from earlier and had a message sent to Inarihime and one sent to Nagisa. In both messages, I mentioned what happened in Anthill Bay. But only in Inarihime’s message did I mention my encounter with the Mysterious Stranger. In her reply she told me not to interfere with the Deity’s work, but my only reply was that I’m from the Old World.

I drifted from battlefield to battlefield like the ghost of the Old World that I was, getting money and resources for my return for Anthill Bay. It took thirteen years, but I had to wait until Walton thought it was safe. It was during the massacre of the Walton Gang that I found my son Hayate. He was wearing one of their suits. And I made Walton himself answer for it. It was from him that I found out that my son now went by Coy. As payment for his interference, I made Walton watch over the boy until I returned for him. The boy just wasn’t ready yet. I later visited the orphanage to find out that my daughter Fuko who now went by Felicia was taken away by the Church because as a human twin to a half-man, she was considered a miracle. As she was in Stinwin, I had to arrive there in secret while following her trail before going back to Boromarl. She was out of my reach.

Another three years later, it looked like the Deity had won. I was at Anthill Bay, hidden within in the crowds on that fateful day. I had thought of it as the chance to take back my son… but it wasn’t. I seen my little girl after so many years, riding in an open top carriage. And she had it stopped so she could get off. She had found her brother, and took him by the hand. I had finally realized their destinies given to them by the Deity, Hayate the Hero and his sister the pope. Even if I couldn’t do it at the time, I could still keep my words. I will reunite my family, no matter how much longer it takes.

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After Note: And that was the final part of “The History of Lost Justice”. Yes, Coy’s missing sister really is the pope. I had made it too obvious before, but this is the confirmation. Also, I need to explain the Mysterious Stranger’s final words to Lost. When he called Lost “child of Freeda”, he was referring to the fact that Lost was born in the Old World and was a follower of Freeda. He is in no way a demigod.  I figured that I better clarify that. Now that “The History of Lost Justice” is finally over, I better get back to the main story. But first… I gotta post the next chapter of LSPL.

Part Five |