Volume 8 Chapter 4 (1/2)
Despite being recognised within the kingdom of Garbera as a prominent n.o.ble family, malicious whispers often referred to the Kotjun House as the ”Moneylending House”. The reason for that was related to their origins.
Just three reigns ago, they were, so to speak, miners whose main occupation was to excavate dragonbone; and although they possessed some wealth, their standing was merely that of a powerful local clan. Their prosperity had improved dramatically after they had discovered and mined a dragonbone lode lying in Garbera's northern mountains; they and had then immediately tied themselves in a commercial agreement with the Garberan king of three reigns ago, who had been zealous about carrying out the refining of dragonbone into weightless metal.
Although the relations.h.i.+p between the Kotjun House and the royal household remained favourable, they were kept at arm's length. Later, when the previous king, Jeorg, had wished to strengthen the air force corps even further, he had thought to have them be directly employed as retainers to the king. The condition that they stipulated, at the time, was that the Kotjun House would obtain forty percent of the wealth derived from the dragonbone deposits that they themselves discovered and developed.
Jeorg Owell had agreed to it.
Garbera was a country which had originally been built by gathering together powerful regional families, however, many of these families had died out or been ruined during the conflicts in each area. It was said that the Kotjun House found amongst them a family with the same name and had bought their pedigree for a high price.
Therefore, although the Kotjun House was known by those within Garbera to have been miners in the past, they officially claimed that going even further back in history, they had been a powerful regional family of n.o.ble standing.
They had ama.s.sed a greater fortune than anyone else in Garbera - possibly greater even than the king himself - and by lending that money to aristocrats and military commanders, they had accrued even more wealth and influence.
There were many, among those who were close to the king, who did not look kindly on their existence. Nevertheless, it was undoubtedly the presence of the Kotjun House that had allowed Jeorg, the previous king, to strike down the n.o.ble houses, which had been on the verge of seceding from the royal family, and to take back the lands which had been s.n.a.t.c.hed away by Mephius and Ende.
Furthermore, it was a fact acknowledged by all, that it was thanks to the funds and dragonbone provided by the Kotjun House that Garbera currently boasted a powerful air force which allowed it to remain on equal footing with those two countries.
Rinoa Kotjun, a daughter of the Kotjun family, had just turned seventeen and, like generations of the heads of her house, she was known to love parties. She would come up with some pretext or another, then hold a grand party at their mansion in the capital, Phozon. It was said that Rinoa spent her days doing nothing but writing party invitations to leading aristocrats, military commanders, and merchants.
That evening as well, the mansion's hall and gardens had been thrown open to host a banquet. Food and drink ordered from all over, rare and expensive items included, were liberally served; while in the hall and far above it, entertainers from both inside and outside of Garbera basked in applause as they demonstrated their first-rate skills.
Just now, a group of boys had played the flute while standing on their hands.
Splendid - thought Zenon Owell, but his heart was unmoved. It was not that he was bad with glamorous surroundings, but a certain piece of news received a few days earlier had thrown that heart into gloom.
He was aware that he had been attracting attention since earlier. This was only the second time that he had attended a party given by the Kotjun family. At the centre of numerous gazes that were questioning what was going on, Zenon smiled faintly and wore an expression that said that he was enjoying himself from the bottom of his heart.
There seemed to be more merchants than n.o.bles present at the party. One of the purposes of Rinoa's parties was to summon traders from all over Garbera and exchange information. The Kotjun family was quite open about it. And because they were so upfront, they avoided having the image of secretly moving behind the scenes to make money.
They looked like merchants acting like merchants.
”Lord Zenon,” a voice called out from behind him. When he turned around, it was Rinoa Kotjun.
”Why, Miss Rinoa,” his smile deepened.
When invited to a party by the Kotjun family, the first thing that any guest worried about was how they should greet the daughter of the head of the house, Rinoa, when she stood before them.
The clothes she wore were of course gorgeous. Although its base was black, her dress was inlaid with bright colours that prevented it from looking too mature, or from becoming too overpoweringly dark. Violet velvet ribbons decorated her hair and jewels sparkled on two of her fingers.
Well, it's safest to praise her clothes and accessories - the malicious and sharp-tongued would say.
At Garbera's royal court, Rinoa Kotjun's name was all but synonymous for 'a plain woman'. Those extolled as 'beauties' in Garbera had round cheeks brushed with rouge, large eyes, and blond hair. Therefore women typically applied makeup to make their eyes look big, but Rinoa had narrow upturned eyes and a thin face that seemed to taper to the point of her sharp chin.
As a matter of fact, her looks were not as bad as gossip claimed, but as she was a young lady who was far from typical, quite a few things were said, half out of familiarity, half out of jealousy, about her appearance and personality.
”It was good of you to come. Even though I wrote an invitation for you, Lord Zenon, I was quite resigned for it to be a waste of time again.”
Receiving a wine cup held out by the party sponsor herself, Zenon drained the contents in one gulp.
”You see, I realized that I had forgotten to express my grat.i.tude.”
”Your grat.i.tude?”
Zenon explained that when he had previously been stationed at Zaim, the Kotjun House's engineering team had prepared a state-of-the-art s.h.i.+p for his Order of the Tiger.
”Oh yes, there was that, wasn't there? But up until now you have frequently done us the honour of receiving such things, so why are you only acting differently this time?”
”Ah, that, I… was thinking that I have not been very obliging towards your House.”
”Lord Zenon, you are esteemed for your chivalrous spirit. The likes of the Moneylending House does not fit the Garbera of your ideals, is that not right?”
Rinoa said such a thing publicly. Zenon gave a sour look but strangely, when it was Rinoa saying it, he didn't feel any sarcasm or mockery from the words. It was probably because both her expression and her tone were bright. There was not a single gloomy person in the Kotjun family.
”Speaking of acting differently, these days, you seem to be close to Sir Salzantes.”
”Oh, you have heard about that, Miss Rinoa?”
”Even if I have, there was no one more surprised than I was, as I had supposed the relations.h.i.+p between the two of you to be like oil and water.”
”It was not anything that extreme. You could simply say that we had a few misunderstandings up until now.”
At Rinoa's invitation, Zenon headed towards a chair in a recess of the hall. In the nearby garden, young men and women could be seen dancing in a ring.
”In truth, I had thought that you would also have invited Noue.”
”I have never once sent that gentleman an invitation. Of course, if Your Highness were to say that you wanted him to accompany you, I would not refuse that request,” Rinoa spoke flatly, a smile still on her face. ”Simply imagining drinking tea opposite that person whose thoughts I cannot guess makes me s.h.i.+ver. Is there a single enjoyable thing about a.s.sociating with that gentleman?”
”You are quite unusual,” when facing this woman, Zenon had plenty of opportunities to smile wryly. ”Noue is a favourite of the women at Court. Well, because of that he often also earns their antipathy.”
”Oh, in that sense I am fine. Since I am not beautiful enough to meet his standards, right?”
He couldn't exactly answer ”Right”.
Seeing Zenon struggle to keep a neutral expression, Rinoa laughed lightly.
”Be it with Sir Salzantes or with your doing us the honour of coming here, you have certainly changed, Your Highness.”
”Do you think so? Hmm, one's own self is difficult to understand.”
Zenon pretended to use the palm of his hand as a mirror and to inspect his face from various angles. It was a smooth countermeasure but -
”If I were a gossipmonger, I might say that because you fell into a difficult position in Ende, you lost your chivalrous spirit and became a coward, Lord Zenon.” Rinoa said that with a smile too.
Zenon almost had an involuntary coughing fit.
”But this is just nonsense spoken by an upstart miner,” while deprecating herself, Rinoa would calmly talk on dangerous topics. For example, she afterwards changed the subject and commented on his older brother, Razetta, in other words, on the person who was first in line for the throne.
”That gentleman is so easy-going, and moreover he seems to have so much free time every day, that my heart warms at the sight of him.”
Prince Razetta served as the commander of the Knights of the Order of the White Heron, the elite guards to the royal family. It was an important role which doubled as guarding the royal capital, but Rinoa's evaluation seemed to be that ”He is neglecting his work.”
One of the reasons why Zenon was bad at handling Rinoa was because he felt exactly as though his own nature were being tested. The impression she gave was that she enjoyed pus.h.i.+ng towards a confrontation.
”My brother is a serious person. Whatever the task, he will put all his energy into accomplis.h.i.+ng it.”
”Yes, indeed. Lord Razetta can surely not be a bad person. For example... if he was at the party, after seeing I had dressed up like this, and so as not to wound my feelings, that gentleman would have, by this time, skilfully managed to think of a plausible compliment.”
”What are you trying to say?”
”We were talking about how Lord Razetta is a virtuous person. Were we not?”
The people in the hall were obliquely watching the conversation between the two. Despite knowing that, Rinoa deliberately and openly brought her lips near his ear.
”It seems like everyone here can't help but be interested in you, Your Highness. Although that may also be because of the rumour about Lady Vileena.”
”That? It's rubbish.”
Because he had guessed that the topic would come up, Zenon's expression did not change.
The information had reached Garbera that Mephius had advanced its army to Taúlia. It was apparently in retaliation for them having a.s.sa.s.sinated the prince. While that was one thing, there was a rumour which the people of Gabera could not ignore.
Princess Vileena had warned Taúlia and since then, she was being kept under restriction within Mephius.
That news had only arrived three days earlier.
If this is true - Noue had said when Zenon invited him to his chambers - Guhl is probably looking to see how Garbera will react by deliberately spreading the rumour, and at the same time he is stressing that it will not be his fault if something unfortunate were to happen to the princess.
Of course, Zenon being Zenon, he was revolted by the way Emperor Guhl had used Prince Gil Mephius' death as an excuse to invade Taúlia. He had no difficulty imagining that, just like him, his little sister had been fiercely angry; only she was impetuous enough to actually inform Taúlia and thwart a surprise attack.
That's my little sister, who cannot tell a lie.
If he was still the same Zenon as before, he very well might have marched into Mephius, sword in hand, to take his sister back. No, even now he had the spirit to do so. But at the same time, he believed that- my little sister would not want Garbera and Mephius to cross swords.
If she had carried information to Taúlia, it had been because her own principles could not stand for it, and she had no choice but to try and stop the war, even if it meant opposing her home country.
”Indeed, it is rubbish,” said Rinoa. ”However, there are those who do not think so... like that gentleman over there.”
She pointed to a man who was standing more or less in the centre of the hall. Zenon turned his gaze that way and for a moment, a complicated expression seemed to cross his face.
Salamand Fogel, the vice-commander of the Knights of the Order of the Badger. A man with a truly fierce physique.
They had stood several times on the same battlefield. At twenty-eight, his age was virtually the same as Zenon's. He was a daring and resolute man, whose character did not betray the impression given by his square and prominent jaw. There should have been no denying that they were comrade-in-arms, who had challenged death together, except that the man had been an ardent admirer of Ryucown's.
When the royal family had been considering bringing the ten-year war to an end by marrying Vileena and Gil - or rather, when rumours of that fact had started to spread throughout Phozon - there had been many officers and soldiers who were unhappy with it. As a matter of fact, Zenon had been too; but as he was also a member of the royal family, and moreover knew the extent of their army's exhaustion, he had finally agreed to his father's decision.
At that time, after being wounded by the Mephian army, Salamand Fogel had been undergoing medical treatment at his home. Already feeling despondent because of that, and greatly dissatisfied with the royal family's decision, he had gotten drunk one evening and sung an improvised song, the meaning of which was that ”a true knight like Sir Ryucown deserves the throne of Garbera”. His companions having informed on him, he had even been thrown into jail for a while.
The commander of the Order of the Badger had desperately pleaded in his favour, and Salamand had been released, but in the meanwhile there had been Ryucown's uprising and its suppression by Mephius' army.
It was said that despite having only just regained his freedom, Salamand had wept bitterly, not caring that anyone saw him.
”I too wanted to remain true to knighthood with Sir Ryucown. Garbera's chivalry has perished with him.”
Zenon remembered how he had fiercely ground his teeth when he had heard about those words. He himself strived to be a model of chivalry in all he said and did. Caught between his inability to forgive Ryucown for betraying his country, and his own attempts to live up to those chivalric ideals, Zenon's heart had been shaken.
Rinoa continued to whisper, ”without paying attention to anyone, that gentleman has been spreading the rumour that Lady Vileena's actions are based on faith in Garbera. And that we should seize this opportunity to rescue the princess from that perfidious Mephius.”
Zenon felt that he could understand now why Rinoa had invited him here. And, just as he had imagined, she beckoned Salamand over so that the two could talk face to face.
”Prince Zenon, you displayed splendid abilities in the war with Ende.”
”No, that was nowhere near as flawless as the rumours have it.”
They shook hands.
In height and breadth, he was a warrior worthy of the name of the Order of the Badger. Even when you looked him straight in the eye, his gaze did not waver. Zenon was not such an expert at mindreading that he could tell what his opponent was planning just from seeing their expression.
I should have brought Noue after all - that futile thought flitted through his brain.
Having come to this, it would be a problem if Ryucown's admirers became active. If they provoked Mephius, Vileena might be placed in even greater danger than she already was. Which was why Zenon made a light jab.
”As for my having pushed Ende back, it is simply because Mephius sent reinforcements.”
Salamand scratched his square jaw thoughtfully. ”Still, that Mephius. Nowadays, it is a country that acts completely contrary to justice.”
”Justice according to whom? Each country and each person has their own justice. You are of course a patriot and a fine knight; but for me, the ideals of chivalry and the needs of the country can differ. Sense of values can be different. You should not label someone as immoral simply because their way of thinking is different from your own.”
”Prince Zenon, are you saying that I am acting against my country?”
”Now look here. Labelling opponents and chasing them down, or having them chase you, is not the way to put ideals into practice. Why, you would be going around every day with a naked blade in hand.” Zenon said laughingly.
Although outwardly Salamand maintained a smile suitable for a banquet,
”Even then, I don't think I would mind.”
”What are you saying?”
”For the sake of living up to my ideals, I would not mind it if, every day, I had to fight those who would stand in my way and dip my sword in their blood. Is what I was saying.”
This man is relentless. While also preserving the gentle smile that was characteristic of the royal family, Zenon cursed inwardly. Salamand was not a man who was all talk and no action either. Even if that was rea.s.suring in an ally, there was currently nothing more worrisome as far as Zenon was concerned. He was wondering whether to break off the discussion for now but -
”Is it not the same for you, Lord Zenon?” Salamand protested. ”Chivalry is not something that one explains to others but something that one embodies. Through constant questioning, exploring for answers, and daily struggles, I hope to succeed in personifying it. That you, Lord Zenon, the model of a knight within the royal family, do not agree with me is truly lamentable,” he declared.
In essence, he was picking a fight. What he was wanting to say was that - Garbera's current royal family does not embody the ideals of chivalry.
For a moment, Zenon looked straight at the other with a serious expression.
The people who had all around been enjoying the banquet and clasping their friends by the shoulders suddenly started to pay attention to the exchange between the two. They watched with bated breath - or it might perhaps better be said - they had found a different source of entertainment at the party.
Zenon himself was known as a general with a relentless personality. He took a step closer to the man who was openly disagreeing with him.
As they were wondering whether he was about to hit him, Zenon heartily clapped Salamand on the shoulder. A stir that was neither admiration nor disappointment went around.
”You're like a seeker of truth, Salamand,” Zenon said cheerfully. ”If every knight was as strict with themselves as you are, it would be a wonderful thing. However...”
”However?”
”There is also paying attention to what other people say. People become stunted if they bury themselves in nothing but their own way of thinking. I was like that as well. And because of that, I got backed into a corner in the battle against Ende. There is observing well those whom you feel you hate, or even those you consider to be enemies, as they might well be mirrors that reflect your own self.”
Salamand did not say anything but his eyes were clearly filled with disdain for Zenon. No doubt he was thinking that he was just lining up pretty words to temporarily smooth things over and run away from their joust.
Zenon was quick to see through the other's emotions but, without saying anything more, he turned his back on him and returned to where Rinoa was.
”If you were the way you used to be, Lord Zenon,” she said as she presented him with a new wine cup, ”there would have been trouble here by now.”
”It is just as you say. I have become a coward.”
”Indeed. That you, Lord Zenon, would end an argument by turning away from it and would call yourself a 'coward' is something I would not have said even in jest.”
Rinoa smiled even more brightly than before while he wondered if this was her way of criticizing him.
Well there it is - she was an unfathomable girl, thought Zenon as he once again drained the contents of the cup. From early childhood, the daughter of the Kotjun House had been brought by her father to attend fierce business transactions.
Her expression then turned somewhat serious. ”Do be careful. As a matter of fact, that man Salamand has only recently started showing up at the banquets given by the Kotjun family.”
”Oh?”
Thinking about it, just like Zenon in the past, a man who preached about honourable chivalry to that extent was not likely to have any kind feelings towards the Kotjun House. So that meant that he had only recently started drawing close to them.
War funds… is it?
Zenon's expression hardened for a moment.
Seeing that, Rinoa put her wine cup down.
”Would you not grant me a dance?” she held out her hand.
Elsewhere, in Safia, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Ende, the country which stood on equal footing with Mephius and Garbera at the centre of the continent.
Like a rainbow bridge spanning the surface of the earth, the innumerable pavilions of the glittering white palace, which were also known as 'the Thousand Wings', formed a decorative belt that encircled the main shrine.
At almost its very highest point, the flag of the ancient Magic Dynasty was fluttering. It was the flag that proclaimed the legitimacy of the authority of Ende's court.
Ende had originally been a land governed by a loyal va.s.sal of the legendary King Zodias, the founder of the Magic Dynasty, who was said to have ruled the continent for over a hundred years. After a certain amount of time, Zodias became more engrossed in magical research than in governing; because of this, and driven by the need to strike fear and awe in the west, which remained beyond the king's control, the Duke of Ende gave the name Grand Duchy of Ende to the lands he administered within Zodias' dynasty.
One stormy night, Zodias abruptly pa.s.sed away from a strange illness and the entire continent fell into the chaos of the long struggle for succession. Like hyenas and vultures gathering around fresh carrion, numerous generals and lords each proclaimed that they deserved to be the successor, and continued the b.l.o.o.d.y conflict, even when there was no longer either a country or a throne left to inherit. Amidst it all, the region of Ende determinedly held its silence.
Without paying any attention to offers of alliances made by other powers, they had simply focused on defending their borders against any invader who tried to cross them. They bided their time for more than ten years until the third Duke of Ende judged that the long war had finally weakened the surrounding lords, and decided to set out with his troops to unify the whole land. After having designated themselves as the legitimate successors, they called themselves the Emperors of Ende. This was the start of the era known in history as 'the Former Empire of Ende' but it only lasted a very short time. That was because at the same period, the Kingdom of Allion was rising in the east of the continent.
The one who ruled as the founding king of Allion was the one who had once been appointed to defend the Dynasty's capital, General Arma Jamil. When insurrection had turned the capital into a sea of flames, Arma - who was said to have set the fire himself - used the opportunity to plunder the capital's treasures and then fled east. Backed by his considerable wealth, he had then taken former military units and vagrant warriors into his service; and, just like Ende, he had bided his time and saved his strength.
Arma took as many as a hundred women as wives, and claimed that one of them was King Zodias' b.a.s.t.a.r.d child. This made him, as her husband, the legitimate ruler of the Dynasty.
A confrontation between Ende and Allion was of course inevitable.
However, while a vanguard from Allion was clas.h.i.+ng with Ende's border defence troops, everywhere else the conflicts were gradually dying down; and countries and powers, with forms of government very different from that of the Dynasty, were being established one by one.
This situation marked the end of the millennial era of the hundred-years dynasty[1] and the world had already plunged into simpler and more savage times; where conflicts were far more about struggling for land with swords and guns than about fighting for the lost sovereign's seal.
With things as they were, Ende and Allion temporarily laid down their weapons. In the peace negotiations that followed the Duke of Ende agreed to no longer call himself emperor and, in exchange, Allion promised to not send soldiers towards Ende for ten years.
Since that time, although Ende and Allion kept their distances from one another, they flew the same flag and claimed that their two nations had jointly inherited the traditions and bloodline of the Dynasty.
The influence of the Dynasty had rapidly left a deep impression on Ende's cultural style. In many of its famous buildings, including the aforementioned 'Thousand Wings' palace, as well as in its paintings and music, there were countless masterpieces belonging to the school of antiquity. The people of Ende were contemptuous of things like the art from Garbera, which the neighbouring country Mephius - with a mixture of masochism and envy - appreciated as 'culture', but which according to them had only been around for a few decades and which could thus be called no more than a fad, unworthy of their attention.
This was Ende.
All those who lived there bragged that Safia was the most magnificent capital in the world, but currently, that same capital was gripped with apprehension over a family quarrel that, with more accuracy, might be said to display human behaviour at its most savage and primitive.
The confrontation between the two princes was finally coming to a head.
The older of the brothers, First Prince Jeremie, who usually feigned belonging to the moderate faction and acted as though he had absolutely no interest in the struggle for succession, had now begun las.h.i.+ng out at his younger brother.
”Marching on Garbera was an act of arbitrary willfulness on my younger brother's part. He falsified our father's, the Grand Duke's, words to make it look as though he had permitted it; then moved the army because of his own personal feelings and as a way of showing off his power. And in the end, what results did it bring? Having been unable to predict that Mephius would send reinforcements, he scurried home helplessly, without taking a single step towards Garbera's capital. Ende is the laughingstock. How could such a foolish and uncouth lout shoulder the weight of this historic country?”
Taking things from a different angle, the reason why Jeremie had started talking this way was because he could no longer ignore his brother's existence. At about the same time that Prince Eric was marching towards Garbera, there had been an incident in which wild dragons had started to rampage through Dairan, a district in Ende's north. To protect a land that he had been close to since early childhood, Eric had immediately turned the army around and had swiftly and valiantly hunted the dragons.
That exploit had spread not only through Dairan but throughout the whole of Ende and had brought a change in the power relations.h.i.+p in Safia. Although ostensibly Jeremie still had many n.o.bles supporting him, there were not a few voices that wondered whether a man like Eric, who was able to make swift decisions and take action, did not deserve to be the next Grand Duke.
Jeremie was a man who understood the subtleties of the court. Therefore, he was able to sense that the atmosphere was dangerous for him.
If I don't attack now, other n.o.bles will steadily get dragged into that atmosphere - was another reason for his impatience.
On the other side, there was the younger brother, Second Prince Eric.
Naturally, he had perceived that a wind pus.h.i.+ng him from behind had started to blow. And so Eric had made the prompt decision that now was the time to go on the offensive.
”In the first place, there has never been a single record of wild dragons in Dairan. On top of that, it was as if their appearance had been timed for when I was away, exactly as though it had someone's design behind it. Which reminds me, my brother Jeremie seems to be close with the Bureau of Sorcery for some reason. Retainers saw him sneaking in and out of there not so long ago,” he commented loudly.
Since the disturbance in Dairan, Eric had been monitoring his brother. As a result, he was able to disclose that Jeremie had personal contact with the Bureau of Sorcery, and when that scandal flew around the entire court, what had merely been a s.h.i.+ft in the 'atmosphere' changed into a rising 'wind'.
And the leading figures in the duchy were eager to ascertain in which direction that wind would blow. In a sense, that was a fight fiercer than the one between the brothers; which was only natural, given that who they cooperated with now would mean the difference between heaven and earth for their lives in the future.
Tactics for information and psychological warfare were being deployed in all quarters. There were those who pretended to remain with him while storing up information about the older brother Jeremie's side, those who were spreading false rumours that the younger brother Eric was preparing his troops to attack Safia, those who were desperate to win over the attendants who looked after the ill and bed-ridden Grand Duke…
Inaudible to the ear, the crash of war from invisible swords, spears and arrows resounded throughout Safia.
”Come closer.” A sonorous voice resounded in the circular chamber.
The walls, which should originally have been grey, shone gold. This was because of the light coming from a lofty pillar, which appeared to be modelled on the immigrants' s.p.a.ce s.h.i.+p, that stood towering in the centre of the chamber. The light was emitted from a sphere that was roughly the size of a human head.
From slightly higher than the bottom of the pillar, walkways ran in eight directions and just before they reached the walls of the circular chamber, they each had a s.p.a.ce in which highbacked chairs on pedestals had been installed.
On each one of them a man was sitting, so that they were, in essence, surrounding the pillar. All of them wore long robes that reached down to their ankles and their collars were tightly fastened. As they wore their cowls low, their faces could not be seen.
”It appears that this country is entering a new phase in its history.” One of them said then another stood up, ”There will be a certain amount of disorder. It is fine to say that Jeremie and Eric are competing for power. But that is all. We are watchmen to the last. To us, battles, political strife, and even the rise and fall of countries are no more than the ripples of a single stone on the surface of the ocean. The roll of the ocean's waves easily swallow them up and ripples soon vanish.”
He spoke sternly and all the other sorcerers nodded simultaneously. The man who had risen to make that statement was the Director of Ende's Bureau of Sorcery, Wodan. The long beard at his chin was woven into a braid in the style of the aristocrats from the era of the Ancient Dynasty.
”Is that not so, Hezel?”
At the base of the pillar, where Wodan's gaze fell, there was a single man. He too had on a robe with a cowl but his clothes were somewhat dirty, his arms were bound behind his back and his knees were to the ground.
The man addressed as Hezel painfully lifted his head and seemed to say something but no voice came out.
Wodan snapped his fingers. ”Take it off,” he ordered.
Behind Hezel, two soldiers stood to attention, spears in hand. On both sides of their faces something like a pale, lightning-shaped tattoo stretched from their eyelids to their lips. They belonged to a special cla.s.s of soldiers within Ende, those who guarded the Bureau of Sorcery. They stretched out their hands and removed a metallic collar from around Hezel's neck.
”Master Wodan,” a voice wheezed out from Hezel's mouth. He tried to continue further but he was in a terribly weakened state and he broke into a violent coughing fit.
Wodan raised his hand.
”It's fine. Your five senses were cut off for a month. Your voice will not come out easily even by the third day. But when I see you, who is like a beloved son to me, reduced to this state, I still cannot blame myself for having gone too far. The sin you committed is that grave. Not only did you draw close to Prince Jeremie and request funding a.s.sistance on nothing more then your own authority, but you also tempted the prince into removing vessels of sorcery from the underground. It seems you used your subordinates to study them, but this too is deserving of a severe punishment.”
His head lowered, Hezel did not move.
The vessels of sorcery were the many artefacts which had been handed down in Ende from the ancient Dynastic period and could be called the very symbol of the Grand Duchy. Hezel had used them to revive ancient sorcery that manipulated dragons. This was not unrelated to the dragons which had suddenly rampaged through the region of Dairan. In other words, Hezel had been involved with something that would deeply affect Ende's politics. Although the Bureau of Sorcery was one of the country's inst.i.tutions, it was by nature supposed to maintain a distance from politics and government.
”At the previous meeting, there were those who said that we should banish you forever, just as we did with that fool Reizus. But you are young and show more promise than any other sorcerer of your generation. Therefore, on my name of Wodan, Director of the Bureau of Sorcery, I had you sent to prison for a month. If you have learned from that...”