Moon Blossom Asura - Chapter 2: Qualities of A Leader? Probably A Mindset to Enjoy Life to The Fullest And A Broken Way of Thinking.

Inside the audience chamber of the royal castle of the Arina kingdom. King Arnia was sitting on his throne, and looking down on the members of the mercenary group ‘Moon Blossom.’ There were three women and two men and all of them were dressed in black robes.

They were summoned here in a hurry after the king received a report from his general. They performed so well that it’s hard to believe that they’re mages.

“My, oh my, if it isn’t the young king. To what do we owe this pleasure?” With a faint smile on her lips, the one who spoke was the silver-haired girl. She looked thin and appeared to be the youngest of them. She had such a perfect face to the point that it was eerie. In the next decade, she could grow up to be a peerless beauty, she could even marry a noble. But King Arnia thought she has a serious problem.

“How dare you! You stand before his majesty the King!” clad in white armour, King Arnie’s captain of his personal bodyguards shouted. “Kneel before his majesty and do not speak unless you are given permission to do so!” The girl has no etiquette when meeting royalty. However, it’s not just her. All members of ‘Moon Blossom’ remained standing without even lowering their heads. 

[TN: one of the reasons I love this novel is the MC doesn’t suck up to royalty]

“Why?” The silver-haired girl replied with a look of disgust. “He isn’t our king. And I don’t like kneeling, neither do I like being ordered around, and I don’t care about rules other than the ones of my group.”

“You brat!! What insolence!! I’ll cut you down for this!!” Saying this the captain pulled out his sword. “Are sure you wanna do that?” The silver-haired girl replied suddenly with a serious tone. And a terribly dark look on her face. 

“Ugh…” Seeing this the captain felt pressured and couldn’t move.

“That was the smart play here, old man.” The blond boy said. “Our boss here is the type of girl that will mercilessly cut down anyone that comes her way. By the way, me and Ina are the same.” The blond boy and the black-haired girl called Ina were holding daggers in their hands and ready to fight.

“Us too… Me and Yuriki-Nii… We hate kneeling”

What a bunch of audious people. And terribly dark eyes they have. Those two, Yuruki and Ina and that silver-haired girl they call their leader. They’re all broken.

“I’ll allow it. They don’t need to kneel. You, put your sword away.” These people are very dangerous. King Arnia thought. They would seriously rather start a war with an entire country than kneel. The captain sheathed his sword, and at the same time, Yuruki and Ina put away their daggers.

“Lumia, Marx. You guys can kneel if you want, okay?” The report said that the name of Moon Blossom’s leader was Asura Lyona. That means that this silver-haired girl is Asura.

“Then I will do so.” Saying this the stunningly beautiful Lumia kneeled.

“Thanks, Boss. As a former knight, I don’t feel comfortable not kneeling.” The big red-haired man, Marx, said this and also kneeled. Even through his robe, his well-trained body can clearly be seen. He must be very skilled. King Arnia thought to himself.

“Wait. You… Did you say your name is Marx? Are you perhaps Marx Redford of the Asure knights?”

“There was a time when I was called by the title, King Arina, but right now I’m simply Marx a soldier mage in the mercenary group Moon Blossom.”

“…Hmm, I see. By the way, what is a soldier mage? What’s the difference between them and mages.”

This is the main reason King Arina had for summoning them here. He wanted to know how a group of five people managed to annihilate a battalion of 30 trained soldiers.

“I’ll answer that young king,” Asura said.”To us, magic is just a tool we use it the same way we would use a Kalashnikov on an RPG.”

“…Klash…?”

“Oh, sorry. Forget about that. I meant to say it’s like a sword or a bow.” Asura shrugged and continued. “We can use magic as well as close-quarters combat techniques. Naturally, we’re also physically trained. Basically, we’re soldiers that can use magic efficiently and understand the concept of ‘Fire and Move.’ We fight without relying solely on magic. We are ‘Magic soldiers.'” 

“Fire And…?” King Arnia said while narrowing his eyes in confusion. 

“Move. You shoot and then you move. Oh, I guess here you use magic and then you move. You can say we’re more at home in a forest and urban areas, and we don’t fight in open spaces like an army usually does.”

[TN: She’s saying fire and move in English, well even if she said it in Japanese the concept only works with guns and not swords so…]

 King Arnia sighed in admiration not because of the concept of ‘Soldier-Mages,’ but because of how articulate Asura’s explanation was. She is a very smart young girl which made clear to him why she’s able to lead this group. 

“Your majesty. Allow me to add to her explanation,” Lumia said. “We are a group that hides, ambushes our enemies and then uses our magic and physical weapons to take them down.”

“Hmm. I see. So you’re mages that use assassins’ tactics, I’m I correct?”

“In my previous life, Finding the enemy and launching a preemptive strike was considered normal so I don’t think the work assassin really fits,” Asura said while tilting her head. “But, well, there are times when we do silent kills, so I guess it’s not completely wrong…”

“Previous life?” King Arnia asked.

“Ah, you don’t have to believe me, but I was a mercenary in my previous life. Haha, I died when I was 40 years old, by taking a direct hit from an Arleigh-Burke class support missile. Geez, that sure was a fun fight.” Asura said this with a smile on her face, but King Arnia didn’t understand half of what she said.

“Asura. He’s gonna think you’re crazy.” Lumia said.

“Hmph. I don’t care. No one believes I’m sane anyway.”  

Indeed, Asura’s attitude and behaviour isn’t that of a sane girl. However, her bizarre way of thinking will lead Arnia to victory. King Arnia had a hunch about this. “I would like to hire you at key strategic points. How long will you be staying in our country?”

“Haha. We’re mercenaries, young king, So that’s a foolish question. We are like ghosts wandering around in search of battlefields. We will be here until the war is over. You can use us as many times as you like. We’ll do anything. As long as you pay us what we deserve.”

Asura was smiling. But it’s not the smile a cute 13-year-old girl should make. Frankly speaking, King Arnia thought she was completely insane. Asura Lyona and her mercenary group Moon Blossom. If handled right they will lead the Arnia kingdom to victory against the Terbea Kingdom. But if miss handled they might turn their fangs against us. 

***

“So the first thing we do after battle is go to a bar?” Lumia said in exasperation

“Lighten up will you, we won. We have a right to enjoy the taste of victory. We took down an entire battalion.” It was the night after their first victory. Asura and her friends booked an entire bar to celebrate in the slums of Arnia’s castle town. The table was filled with food from end to end and each member was assigned a prostitute to serve them.

“But, boss. You’re just drinking tea?” Yuruki said with a goofy tone as he tucked down bills between one of the prostitute’s breasts. His cheeks were red thanks to the 3 beers he already finished. Yuruki uses honorifics, albeit half-heartedly, for Asura, [the boss] of the group, and Lumia, the second-in-command.

“This body still can’t handle any alcohol. If I drink, I’ll definitely throw up.” Asura said.

“Is that your… Weakness, boss?” Ina was a little dizzy. So she was being held by one of the prostitutes. Ina is a 15-year-old girl with a short black hair. She has a nasty look in her eyes and one can tell she’s a bad person with a single glance. 

“I can let the alcohol slide, but calling prostitutes, seriously?” Lumia said.

“Isn’t it better when it’s a beautiful woman pouring the drinks? Or would it have been better for you and Ina if they were male prostitutes?” Asura said. “Stop that. I have a vow of chastity. and I plan on keeping it until I get married.” Lumia replied.

“That’s right. I’ve also taken a vow of chastity, so I’ll only drink.” Marx said while looking shy and bowing a little towards the prostitutes. He also seemed a little drunk.

Lumia is 28, while Marx is 25. But both were completely serious about their vows, so Asura wasn’t about to make fun of them for it. 

“Well, I haven’t sworn any vows, so can I take one of them to a room, boss?” Yuruki is an 18-year-old boy and a former gang leader. He has blond hair and has a friendly atmosphere around him. He’s also somewhat good-looking, but Asura doesn’t care because she has no interest in men.

“I won’t tell you what to do with your own money. Yuruki, do whatever you like with it. After all, I’ve had my fair share of prostitutes in my previous life.”

The reward money has already been split evenly between all members. They used the group’s shared fund to pay for the bar. It was the upfront payment for this job, which would normally be spent on equipment, but this time they only used their own equipment. So it was treated as a bonus. The money they paid for the prostitutes was only for pouring drinks. not for sex. So if Yuruki wants to pay he’ll have to pay from his own share. 

“Well, then see you tomorrow.” Saying this Yuruki. puts his arm around one of the girls’ waists and leaves the table with a big smile plastered on his face.

“Yuruki-Nii, you perv… Letcher… Idiot… Die.” Ina said this while looking at Yuruki’s back. Although they’re not real siblings, Ina adores Yuruki as an older brother.

Asura picked up a meat skewer but noticed one of the girls looking at her with a wanting look on her face. “Do you want some?” Asura asked.

“Can I? Is that okay?” The girl responded with a twinkle in her eyes. “I don’t mind. All of you girls if you want to eat then eat” Asura said while smiling. “That’s very kind of you,” Lumia said her expression softening.

“Not really,” Asura said. “There’s too much food here anyway.” In fact, the amount of food was enormous.

“By the way, Asura, there’s something serious I need to tell you, Watch your mouth around the royal family,” Lumia said. “Because of this Lèse-majesté thing?” Asura asked. “Yes, King Arnia is a patient and generous King, but there are many who aren’t like him,” Lumia replied.

“I don’t like to kiss up to people and I don’t like kneeling. If they want to pick a fight with me. I’ll buy it. If they want to declare war. I’ll kill them. That’s how I’ll live my life.” 

“I… I just don’t want you to end up like me.” Lumia said.

“Then let’s just pray that all kings are as generous as him,” Asura said. Lumia just sighed and didn’t say anything else and took a sip of her wine.

“U-Umm…” The young prostitute murmured. “Oh yeah. I never asked your name.” Asura smiled and continued. “My name is Asura Lyona. I’m the leader of the mercenary group Moon Blossom.”

“Ah, erm. My name is Salume. Umm, th-thank you for the meal…”

“Don’t worry about it. Eat as much as you like.” Asura said. “Umm, Asura-San, you look very young, are you really a mercenary…?”

“That’s what I said, how old are you, Salume?” Asura asked. “I’m Fourteen,” Salume replied back. Salume has shoulder-length brown hair and her body is still immature. Her face isn’t anything to write about. But no one can call her ugly either. Asura thought that she would make a better girlfriend than your typical gorgeous girl. though her first love will always be the battlefield.  

“So young. Well, you’re still one year older than me.” Asura felt a little sorry for her. Either she was sold to pay off some debt, or she had no other means to survive. In her previous world, this would be considered a crime, but in this world, it’s a common story.

“Can I… be a mercenary like you?” Salume asked. 

“Oh?” Asura let out a small laugh. “If you really want to. I can let you into my group.”

“Really!?” Salume exclaimed with a voice mixed with anxiety and expectation.

“Yeah, Sure. If you like dying while being shot by arrows, stabbed repeatedly with spears, slashed by swords, trampled down under the enemy’s feet, and dying while choking on your own blood. you’re welcome to try. You might also end up being raped repeatedly before you die if you’re unlucky. And then you’ll end up in hell thinking how happy you’re life was before becoming a mercenary.” After Asura said all this, Salume was at a loss for words. Was it too exciting perhaps?

“Before that… There’s the training…” Ina said scowling. “You never told me about it… Before doing all those horrible things to me…” 

“Are you talking about the torture training…” Marx’s face turned pale from the memories. “I seriously considered going back to the knights back then…”

“But you persevered,” Asura said. “Although each of you had different motivations for becoming a mercenary, you all completed my basic training, with strong conviction. Now all that’s left is to take on contracts whenever you want, get practical experience and die joyously on the battlefield. Isn’t that the best! Besides, isn’t defeat capture and torture all part of what makes war fun?” 

Asura was the only one who seemed to enjoy herself as she said this.

“You gotta be kidding me.” Lumia sighed and put her hand on her forehead. “I’m never doing your torture training ever again.”

“Really? I quite enjoy being fucked up like that. Every time I think back at what I did to you guys a shiver runs down my spine. Isn’t there a strong enemy out there that can do the same to me?” When Asura said that last part and laughed the air froze.

“Y-You’ve… Gone crazy boss.” Marx said with a stiff face.

“…Boss, You’re too scary…” Ina dropped her fork as she said this.

“Oh, Lord… please have it in your mercy to give back a tiny bit of sanity to Asura.” Lumia clasped her hands and started praying.

“So, Salume, would you like to join us?” Asura asked with a normal smile. Salume opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“Well, we’ll be staying in Arnia for a while, so take your time and think about it, I’ll hire you again and ask after our next victory. Oh, By the way, how much would I have to pay to buy Salume’s freedom?” Asura directed her question to the prostitute who was waiting on Lumia. She looked like the leader of her group.

“Salume has a debt of 70,000 Doras,” she replied. Dora is the common currency in this world and its value is close to the US dollar.

The payoff for this contract was 100,000 Dora, which was divided among 5 people, so each person got 20,000 Dora.

“It looks like I don’t have enough.” Asura sighed. “Wait a little bit longer ok, a few more missions and I’ll have enough to pay.”

“Is someone named Asura Lyona here!?” Suddenly, three soldiers entered the bar. “That’s me.” Asura raised her hand while saying this.

“I have a request from his majesty, King Arnia! The enemy is using mid-level monsters to attack us and we’re being pushed back! Can your group handle monsters!?”

“Monsters? Sure, it would be my first hunting monsters with Moon Blossom but that’s okay it’s still a battle.” Asura said.

“You have our thanks! Then, please head to Murkus village first thing tomorrow morning! Someone else will come to you with more details later.” After saying this the soldiers left the bar.

“Well, what do you know, money just came in and flew to my pocket. I’m blessed aren’t I?” Asura said with a smile. Marx was deep in thought, while Ina looked worried.

“Blessed? Haha, How so?” Asura kept talking to herself since no one was considerate enough to reply to her. “Maybe I’m blessed by the goddess of war herself.”

——–

Red-TL: That’s Chapter 2 done see you guys in the third one.

Please support the Author By buying the Light Novel at : Moon Blossom Asura: The Ruthless Reincarnated Mercenary Forms the Ultimate Army (Light Novel) | J-Novel Club