Volume 8 Chapter 3 (1/2)

”Please wait,” changing his tone, one of them stepped towards s.h.i.+que. Judging from his weapons, he was undoubtedly a Taúlian soldier. ”Where are you going, Sir s.h.i.+que? Your unit should not have received any orders this evening, I believe.”

There were seven or eight of them. Each of them set alight the torches in their hands at the same time. As his figure was brought to light by the fire, s.h.i.+que desperately repressed his inner turmoil.

Judging by the fact that they had deliberately extinguished the fires and concealed themselves, they could not have followed him from Taúlia. The ambush had been set from the start. In other words, Orba's surroundings must have been kept under vigilant surveillance for some time already.

Having been caught here, if the secret message tucked at his breast was found, the situation would veer off in the worst possible direction. It would probably not end well for Orba either. s.h.i.+que deliberately plastered a smile on his face.

”h.e.l.lo, thank you for your hard work. But isn't this a bit overboard? I'm an ally, even if I am a Mephian.”

”I would like you to prove that. Could you come over here?”

Those who were surrounding s.h.i.+que were subordinates of Natokk, the commander of the Sixth Army Corps. The one who had ordered them to keep watch on Orba was the lord of Taúlia, Ax Bazgan himself.

Because Orba had been quick to leave Eimen, Ax had become suspicious about his ident.i.ty. It wasn't that he particularly sensed signs of betrayal from him. But it was certain that Orba was no longer a disposable mercenary.

So Ax had instructed his men to follow Orba, ordering them to keep him under surveillance and to monitor his movements. His choice of who to put on the job was nothing more than coincidence, but when Natokk had received the order, a thought had struck to him...

Just at the same time, a certain rumour had been circulating among Natokk's men. It concerned Orba, the hero who had defeated Garda.

Previously, Natokk's unit had been the at the vanguard of the attack on Apta. While a detached force moved to the enemy's rear, they had been tasked with drawing the enemy's attention but, instead of catching Mephius in a trap, they had been the ones to fall into an ambush.

The one leading the unit which had performed that ambush was a swordsman in an iron mask.

He himself had not given his name as ”Orba”. Once they had made peace with Mephius however, information from neighbouring countries far and wide had all at once become available. Of course, this included the many heroic activities accomplished in just under half a year by Gil Mephius, who had overcome Ax's forces and who on top of that had made a peace settlement, and among that information were anecdotes about one of his subordinates, a mysterious masked swordsman. He had defeated Garbera's great general Ryucown then had magnificently won the gladiatorial compet.i.tion held in Mephius' capital, Solon.

It seemed that his name was...o...b...

The rumour had spread among Natokk's subordinates. Natokk himself had heard it very shortly after Garda's defeat. A masked swordsman of the same name. Natokk had only caught a glimpse of either of them, but their build looked the same.

Is it a coincidence or…

Just as he had been seized by a sudden suspicion, he had received orders from Ax to monitor Orba. Consequently, Natokk has tightened the watch on him more thoroughly than anyone else would have done if they had received those instructions.

s.h.i.+que had been caught in that surveillance net.

”It's exactly as though I was the enemy,” he put on a sulky expression even as he was conscious of being in a cold sweat. ”The ones who defeated Garda was our unit. You can't possibly be thinking that I'm a spy sent by Garda or by Mephius, can you?”

”I am requesting proof of that. If you can prove your innocence, as an apology for our rudeness, it will be our treat. It's already so late. We could be relaxing and exchanging toasts.”

”So what? I shouldn't have bothered coming to a country like this. Maybe I should tell Orba to hurry up and move the unit out?”

s.h.i.+que's eyes darted about while he pretended to turn back.

Should I go back for now? He wondered but judging from the state of the soldiers, he would not be able to avoid an investigation if he turned on his heels now.

In that case —

”s.h.i.+t, this is stupid. I've had it with being a Taúlian mercenary. I'm going back to Mephius. Give my regards to the masked gentleman. Next time we meet, we'll be on different sides. I accept that our bond was just that weak. But you can tell him that I won't forgive him either.”

He had no choice but to drive his horse forward as soon as he saw a chance.

Afterwards, Orba would be able to treat him as a ”deserter”. If the net stretched further, Orba would of course also be investigated but as long as the secret message didn't come to light, as the hero who had saved the west, he should be able to pull through.

The net around s.h.i.+que grew even narrower. The one in the lead raised the gun he held. Even if he spurred on his horse, his odds for success were fifty-fifty. Just as he was about to give a sharp kick to his horse's flank —

”Uwah!”

”Ow, w-what the…”

The ring of soldiers was momentarily thrown into confusion. From the distance, stones had been thrown at them.

”Ahoy there, you Zerdian soldiers! You picking a fight with a member of our unit?”

The disconcerted soldiers shone the light towards the voice and a huge shadow suddenly came into view.

”Gilliam!”

Exactly as s.h.i.+que's shout indicated, the figure that had appeared was that of the giant mercenary Gilliam. He shook his mane-like hair and beard while giving a threatening smile.

”What're you planning on doing if Mephius attacks again while you're having your internal quarrel? If he wants to go, let him go. A soldier who runs away at the last moment is useless from the start.”

”Please wait, Sir Gilliam. We haven't - Yeow!”

The stone Gilliam threw hit the protesting soldier right on the nose. The Mephian was acting as flippant as though he were drunk.

”Oi, s.h.i.+que. We've known each other for a long time but this is goodbye. Wherever it is you're going, get out of here fast. But mark my words, if we meet on the battlefield, I won't let you off. I've been thinking for a while now that you're obnoxious so if I see you, I'll go straight for your head.”

”That's exactly what I was hoping for,” s.h.i.+que laughed cheerfully.

”Wait. b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, doing what you please…”

Several of the soldiers turned on Gilliam. Even though he was hurling stones at them, they closed in on him them and tried to subdue him. Gilliam however easily took on the charging soldiers and knocked them down.

Now.

Seizing his chance the moment their attention was distracted, s.h.i.+que gave a sharp kick to his horse's flank. With a neigh, the horse started sprinting forward.

”W-Wait!”

The Taúlian soldiers tried to hurriedly grab the horse's neck or s.h.i.+que's feet, but their hands missed. Carried on his horse, s.h.i.+que was about to disappear into the darkness beyond their lights.

”s.h.i.+t!”

The soldiers had received strict orders from Natokk. One of them raised the gun he had been pulling out. He was going to aim for the horse, but its shape had already been almost entirely swallowed up by the shadows. Although his aim wasn't fixed, he still pulled the trigger.

A gunshot.

Along with it, the shadow on horseback seemed to jerk violently; but maybe he had merely been grazed, or maybe he just been surprised by the sound of the shot, as he immediately righted his posture and disappeared from sight.

Left behind, Gilliam laughed cheerfully. The soldiers soon all crowded around him but even though he could no longer move, he still laughed.

Hmph. Inwardly, the one he was jeering at was himself. Achieving all these feats and thinking our treatment would change from when we were gladiators.

Gilliam hadn't leapt into action because he had understood everything that Orba and s.h.i.+que were aiming for. It was simply that he couldn't stand how s.h.i.+que, after it having been just him and Orba in the medical office, had sneakily moved around alone. Actually, the one he found ”obnoxious” was that boy whose thoughts were impossible to understand.

But —

That guy always makes his moves to win.

He certainly recognised that. And so, he thought that if necessary, he might just lend his strength for the sake of that. He thought that if he wielded his axe near where that boy was, he might see something beyond what he had known until now.

At any rate, the crown prince of Mephius and the hero of the west. There aren't two such interesting guys in this world.

In the past, Gilliam had once been a soldier who had sided with a certain faction. Having lost that fight, he had fallen into slavery and had swung swords and axes as a gladiator. Currently, he was in the middle of gaining renown as a mercenary.

But what could the position of mercenary lead to? If his was going to be a life of brandis.h.i.+ng steel without using his brain, he should at least choose the more interesting option.

Gilliam continued pretending to be drunk and spat at the soldier who was trying to tie him up. When the soldier flinched, he laughed out loud. Even when he caught a hard blow to the stomach, he didn't feel a thing.

Without wasting any time, Natokk's subordinates went to the barracks of the Fifth Army Corps where Orba was. When they kicked down the door, he was sitting up in bed.

He wore his mask.

But he had not armed himself with a sword or a gun. What he had in his hands was a book.

”What business do you have with me in the middle of the night?” Orba asked. It was impossible to tell what his expression was but through the mask his eyes glittered sharply.

For a moment, the brawny Zerdian soldiers held their breath. Although he had no weapon nearby, they had the chilling feeling that any moment now he would grab them with his bare hands.

At that moment, Orba's anger was certainly boundless. It had been that way since he had heard the gunshot, but it was not aimed at them.

One of the soldiers came back to his senses.

”I am very sorry but I would ask you to come with us. If there are any personal belongings you need to take, please prepare them at once.”

The soldiers were armed with bayonets but they did not point them towards him.

”There's nothing,” Orba shrugged. ”I don't need anything. I'll follow you. Oh, but…”

”But?”

His eyes glinted dangerously in the dark and for a moment, the soldiers once more held their breath. But what Orba said was —

”Don't touch my mask. It was a present from Princess Esmena. No one is to lay a single finger on it.”

North of Helio, at a distance that could be covered in about two and half days by a galloping horse, there was a comparatively large village. It was prosperous mainly from trade with the nomads. It was said that since the western Lake Kurán had been deemed holy, the ancestors of the inhabitants had cleared s.p.a.ce for the village with the intention of protecting that sacred ground.

The meeting between Ax and the elders from the main clans would be held at a location a dozen or so kilometres east of the village.

The village itself had suddenly become animated thanks to Ax and the great crowd of people which had spontaneously ama.s.sed around him.

Everywhere he pa.s.sed through on the way there, Ax had been welcomed. Whenever he approached a town or a village, droves of people crowded on either side of the highway to catch a glimpse of him. His name was called out repeatedly. The eyes turned towards him were the eyes of those gazing at a matchless king.

Atop his horse, Ax was at the summit of his triumph. He deeply felt that the power of the Bazgan House had finally been restored, and by none other than himself at that.

I need to give thanks to Garda - He even thought fleetingly.

Because that sorcerer had run rampant, becoming a common 'enemy' for the west, it had become fertile ground for a hero such as himself to step forward and demonstrate his might.

Even in myths and legends, vicious 'enemies' only exist to make the hero work hard and look good after all. Hmm, this might become the founding tale of the rebirth of Zer Tauran.

Ax Bazgan happily indulged in childish fantasies.

In this village too a welcome banquet was going be held forthwith. All the notable villagers came up to greet him one after another.

Moreover, it appeared that a number of youths from this village had joined the punitive force against Garda. Ax personally praised the achievements of one who had survived and become a minor hero in the village. The youth's cheeks flushed and his feverishly ardent eyes became blurred.

If, right then and there, Ax had ordered ”Die for me”, he might well have slit his own throat with his sword. It was no wonder that, in a way, Ravan Dol was warier of Ax's fame than of the enemy, but Ax himself saw the youth's ecstasy as heart-warming.

In the house of the village chief, a dance that was a specialty of Tauran was struck up. Although, as this was a rural part of Tauran, neither the appearance nor the gyrations of the dancing girls were particularly refined.

I miss Jaina's dancing.

While outwardly displaying satisfaction, Ax inwardly thought about his wife, who was a former dancer.

The melody from the flutes changed and the dancing girls were replaced by another group. Most of them did nothing to overturn Ax's impression, but there was one beauty who caught his eye.

Oh, that's rare for the countryside.

Her bearing was light and, from her fluttering hair to the tip of her toes, her movements were charming.

As Ax was greatly pleased with her, after the group dance was over, he had the beauty stay back and dance before him.

He continued to drink. Unusually for him, he became drunk.

Not surprising.

Even though Ax had confidence in his resistance to alcohol and in his stamina, he had left Taúlia to defeat Garda and after that there had been a succession of meetings in Eimen. Then, with no time to rest, he had extended his trip all the way to here. It felt good to know that from here on he would be praised as the west's greatest hero, but on the other hand, having every single one of his actions attract attention was a little wearing on the nerves.

The alcohol and the beauty's dance seemed to seep into his body.

The night grew late and Ax invited the beauty to the room that would serve as his lodgings.

Ax was full of vigour, yet after having made Jaina his wife, there had been no rumours of his having any love affairs. Nor had he taken a concubine.

While feeling surprised at himself, he asked -

”You. Your name is?”

She paused for a moment as she poured alcohol.

”I am called Tahī.”

Her eyes s.h.i.+ning a brilliant dark black by the light of the lamp, the beauty gave her name.

Ax made Tahī dance once again.

As he watched while she danced alone, wearing the dim, dusky light like a garment; Ax felt as though he were slipping through the boundary of dreams.

Through a seamlessly natural flow, they were in bed together.

Even then, Ax was in a dreamlike trance. Tahī's ardent skin, soft lips, and supple limbs became the chains that robbed Ax's mind and body of freedom. It was a strangely comfortable feeling. From somewhere other than his own nature, he seemed to be overflowing with a desire to leave his everything to another person and to simply fall asleep.

And so, when Tahī straddled his chest as though riding a horse, with a dagger gleaming in her hand, it was as though he were watching an act from a stage play and he was unable to grasp that his life was in danger.

Tahī's somewhat thick lips parted in a smile and she swept the blade towards Ax's breast in a rush of wind.

At that instant, a rough noise rose from outside the lodgings.

A sound like the reverberation of a thousand army boots or like lightning had just fallen nearby could be heard. It was the repeated roaring of dragons.

The invisible chain was torn away from Ax's body and mind.

”You f.u.c.king…!”

He stretched out his hand for a sword but there wasn't even the pillow which should have been there.

To be tricked by a woman's wiles.

While Ax burned with regret, Tahī clicked her tongue. However, she immediately put her blade into a rough fighting stance and thrust it forward. Ax dodged twice but his body was sluggish. Even his brain felt dull, as though some foreign substance had gotten inside it.

”Anyone. Someone, get in here.”

He had meant to shout but only a voice as hoa.r.s.e as an old man's leaked out.

When Tahī leapt a third time, Ax tripped over his own feet and fell.

For the man who was praised everywhere as the ruler of the west to have his life cut short after having fallen into the clutches of a woman he had invited to his bedroom…

As Ax was thinking that, and just as the blade was about to plunge straight into his heart, a dragon was heard howling again.

”Why are there dragons here!”

It wasn't Tahī who yelled but the soldiers outside the lodgings.

”Drive them away!”

”b.a.s.t.a.r.d, what are you doing here - Uwah!”

Immediately after, the bedroom door opened and what appeared was neither brawny soldiers nor a new a.s.sa.s.sin beckoned by Tahī but, at a glance, a very ordinary, slightly-built middle-aged man.

As Ax, Tahī, and the soldiers who were racing in behind stared in surprise and confusion, the middle-aged man nodded to himself in satisfaction.

”It's a case of being called by the lingering scent of Garda. As expected.”

”You are the one who hindered me?” Tahī spat out bitterly. Her expression warped into one of hatred and she looked like a completely different person from the one who had danced in front of Ax.

”Not me. My cute children.” He wore the same smile as when he performed magic tricks for the youngsters. Ax wasn't familiar with him, but this man was the merchant who walked along with dragons. ”The voices of those children disturb ether. Come and let yourself be tied up quietly. You will not be moving freely anymore.”

”You're taking me, Tahī, too lightly.”

So saying, Tahī kicked at the floor. With one bound, she was right before the merchant. The roar of dragons sounded three times. They had apparently been left in the garden.

Tahī's body shook and lurched over.

As if by magic, the merchant produced a long rope from his breast and casually threw it. One of the tricks he showed off in public was to use a la.s.so to catch the neck of a dragon which was far away; but this time, it twined unerringly around Tahī's neck and, coiling repeatedly around her sensual limbs, it prevented her from moving.

It was a skilful ability. However -

”Ngh!”

As soon as Tahī made a sound, the ropes were cut apart in mid-air then that supple body leapt higher and higher. Landing behind the merchant, she then slipped past the side of the dumbfounded soldiers and vanished from sight.

”Oh,” turning around towards the direction she had darted off in, the merchant spoke without either a smile nor a sigh. ”That's a surprise. If she had been a normal sorcerer, she would not have been able to use a single magic trick after the ether had been disturbed. It might be that this isn't unrelated to us.”

Having finally snapped back to themselves, the soldiers surrounded the merchant on either side.

”B-b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”

”Don't move!”

”Wait,” Ax held them back with a wave of his hand.

Normally he would be roaring angrily at the soldiers for so easily allowing a suspicious person to come near him; but in this case, he himself had invited a viper to his bedroom. His head was still dull and he pressed a hand against it.

”Did you say Garda? That woman, who is she? And you?”

”You really should be careful, Sir Ax Bazgan.” As though ignoring Ax's question, the merchant bobbed his head, still wrapped in the turban with feathers stuck in it. That too was a gesture that resembled those of a conjurer before a spectator.

”It would seem that the sorcerers can't ignore you either. Although we cannot carelessly interfere in the west. If we were to lose Sir Ax now, it would be a hard blow for us. Although that is only now, at this moment, and I cannot promise that it will still be the same in a year's time, or even tomorrow.”

”Sorcerers, is it. Then that woman really is a survivor from Garda's subordinates.”

”That is half right and half wrong. Since Garda has not been destroyed.”

”What!”

”Oops, and I was given such strict orders not to give too much unnecessary information. People have their path to follow and evil spirits have theirs. It is said that having the two domains penetrate too far into one another throws even the golden mean of fate into disarray. With that, I'll be taking my leave Sir Ax. Ruler of the west.”

”Wait!”

This time Ax was about to give orders to the soldiers to seize the man. But there was something strange about the hand he lifted. It felt as though the governor-general of Taúlia had once again fallen into a magic snare.