Vol 9 Chapter 4 (2/2)

As soon as he left the hall, he had to go around giving his greetings to a number of people as Gil Mephius; then, by which time it was nearly dusk, he had to go and see people as...o...b... Bouwen Tedos was one of those that he had to greet a second time.

Basically, in the morning, he had thanked him as Crown Prince Gil for looking after Orba, and in the afternoon, he went as...o...b.. the mercenary to apologise for having kept silent about the prince.

“The Old Master knew about it, right? Then it’s fine,” Bouwen had some inner conflict but, having also talked with the prince first-hand, his manner was outwardly calm and mild.

“Thank you for your care, General.”

“What are you talking about? Thanks to you, even I, who couldn’t join the punitive force, was able to be hailed as a hero to some extent. I’m grateful. But…”

“But?”

“I hope that next time we meet, it’ll be as friends.”

“Of course.”

It could not be said that Orba did not feel warmth welling up within him. The two of them shook hands firmly and parted ways.

After that, Orba went to call on Ravan Dol in his room within Taúlia’s castle. Although, for all that it was his room, it was so filled with old books that there was literally nowhere to stand. There were quite a few of those books that piqued Orba’s interest. Noticing how Orba’s eyes immediately went back to them as soon as he had finished his hurried greetings, Ravan laughed.

“Later, I’ll be happy to let you have as many as you want.”

After having regained the ‘mask’ of Gil Mephius, Orba had received no few favours from the old strategist. He started by giving his thanks for those.

Ravan’s attentiveness had been at its height when it came to crossing the River Yunos to return to Apta. First, he had provided boats on the pretext of returning Mephian war prisoners. Orba, his face hidden under a hooded cloak, had ridden on board along with the prisoners, but there had also been a man there with the exact same clothing as him.

Acting on Ravan’s arrangements, he was, so to speak, another ‘body-double’ for Gil Mephius.

It was to be feared that if Prince Gil had appeared in Apta right after Orba, the swordsman in the iron mask, had headed that way, the soldiers who had acted as...o...b..’s guards or the war prisoners who had travelled with him might become suspicious and start to wonder if those two people might not be one and the same.

Therefore, a person with the face covered by a hood had been slipped in among the war prisoners, and as the soldiers had been ordered to treat that person only with courtesy, when they wondered about it later, everyone would have been made to think that the man must have been Gil Mephius.

Said person was one of Ravan Dol’s men who had received his orders directly from him. Once Orba had used the name Gil Mephius after crossing the Yunos, the man had secretly removed his cloak and, feigning innocence, had returned to the other sh.o.r.e along with the Taúlian soldiers.

“He’s a man I’ve watched grown up from a baby. He is part of the group that I raised and that I spent as much time training as the dragons in order for them to become my eyes, hands, and feet.” Ravan explained. “His intuition isn’t bad so he may have somewhat guessed the situation, but he is a man who always keeps my orders in mind. He won’t reveal anything.”

“I see.”

“Although,” Ravan’s gleaming eyes were not at all like those of an elderly person, “just as with the books, if you want it, I will be happy to present Your Highness with his life. Ever since sailing back from Apta, he has, after all, been preparing himself to die at the Prince’s hands.”

“No need,” said Orba. “There are already two people in Taúlia who know my situation: Princess Esmena Bazgan and you yourself. There is no one with more influence than them in Taúlia. With these two people around, no matter what kind of rumours may spread within Taúlia, it is precisely because they know the circ.u.mstances that they will be able to put out the fire. And if, in the unlikely event that these two people decide to use that knowledge to harm Mephius, then…”

“Then?”

“To extinguish the fires, one will simply have to extinguish Taúlia itself. But that scenario is of course purely hypothetical.”

“Oh, indeed.”

Ravan nodded with the air of one having a pleasant chat over tea.

Having been able to express his grat.i.tude to the Old Master, Orba was going to leave for the moment but –

“Actually, Your Highness, I would like to ask that you do not needlessly reveal what I am about to tell you.” Ravan’s somewhat guarded tone cut that thought down.

Orba smiled involuntarily. “Then we’ll be on equal footing when it comes to not letting out secrets. What on earth is it?”

“To tell you the truth, just the other day, my liege-lord Ax Bazgan was a.s.saulted and very nearly lost his life.”

Ravan spoke with his usual detachment but even Orba found himself at a complete loss for words.

“One might suppose that my lord’s opponent was a particularly brawny a.s.sa.s.sin but, from what I heard from the soldiers who were acting as his bodyguards, it was a woman. Furthermore, the fact is that he was almost stabbed as they were sleeping together.”

Ravan explained with the air of one forced to endure their humiliation.

Orba, for his part, could not hide his surprise. If Ax were to die now, it would be a hard blow, not only for Orba himself, but also for the entire western world. Since Ax could now be considered the leader of the western alliance, while on the one hand he had all the fame and popularity that he could wish for, it could also mean that the threats to his life had increased.

However –

“This was not an a.s.sa.s.sin who was simply sent to rob us of control over the west,” although there was no else around, Ravan lowered his voice.

According to his story, the one who had saved Ax from the a.s.sa.s.sin’s blade had been neither his guards nor he himself with his trusty sword, but another unidentified person. After this person had driven away the woman who used mysterious spells, he had conveyed to Ax words to the effect that –

Garda is still alive.

“Garda?”

Orba repeated mechanically. Garda – the very sorcerer who had once dragged the whole of the west into a tempest of atrocities. The one whose life Orba himself was supposed to have taken with the sword he wielded.

Ax’s unidentified saviour had further added that he himself “came from the Barbaroi village”.

Garda and Barbaroi. Orba frowned, unable to grasp the meaning of those words suddenly appearing.

“Actually,” Ravan Dol picked up a book in his collection from a set of tomes that looked particularly ancient, “after Garda was defeated, we investigated the ruined temple in Zer Illias that served as the sorcerer’s base and found books similar to this one. It seems that they were memorandums left behind by a subordinate of Garda’s – by ‘Garda’, I am not referring in this case to the sorcerer that the western alliance fought against, but to the man who served as the head magician and High Priest to the Dragon G.o.ds more than two hundred years ago, in the era of Zer Tauran.”

“Oh?”

The story was becoming increasingly perplexing.

“Naturally, the Bazgan House, descended from the king of Zer Tauran, also possesses books from that period but, most of them do not go beyond conforming with the doctrines of the royal family and of the priests. The real facts about the dark side of history, or in other words, the parts which are inconvenient for the royal family, have not been set down in writing. This book however is held to be particularly precious as the author, despite being one of Garda’s direct subordinates, appears to have incurred his displeasure at some point and was thus kept away from politics and religious functions. Probably so as to avoid it being burned if it was later found by people from the royal family or by Garda, the entire text is written in code.”

“Meaning that it records something close to what the people of the time really thought?”

“Exactly. Moreover, it is the true opinion of a man who was close to Garda, who has remained an enigma from that day to this.”

Naturally, Ravan had been seized by an intense curiosity. Fortunately, Ax had ordered him to convalesce a while so as to heal from the wounds he had suffered during the war and so he was able to spend most of his waking hours studying the book.

“I’ve still only managed to decipher part of it, but for a westerner like me, even that one part has been astounding. As an example, it contains a description related to the ‘Dragon G.o.d’s Claws’. Your Highness, you are aware of what these claws are?”

“The sovereign’s seal of the Ancient Magical Dynasty… was it? If I’m not mistaken, Sir Ax holds one of the pair.”

“That is correct.”

As for ‘being aware’ Orba had himself been in possession of that claw for a while. However, he had not directly laid eyes on it. It was stored within the war fan that Ax always kept about his person.

“According to the history books, these claws were left behind by the very mightiest of the Dragon G.o.ds that once ruled the world, a being that must certainly have been very much like a deity. It is said that these items are imbued of a wondrous power and that those who possess them can even dominate the world, but for a long time, they were protected by a nomadic tribe that roamed the high plateaus of Tauran. And then, one day, Yasch Bazgan, who had at the time been dispatched from Mephius with orders to survey the west, chanced to encounter these nomads. The history books say that the elder of the tribe proclaimed Yasch ‘the vessel of the king who will dominate the world’ and conferred upon him the Dragon G.o.d’s Claws – thus leading to the founding of Zer Tauran.”

However, according to the memorandum that Ravan had a.n.a.lysed, it seemed that somehow or another, the head magician Garda had long been in possession of the Dragon G.o.d’s Claws.

“Did Garda originally hail from that tribe of nomads or did he steal them from them – and besides, the tale that the ‘Dragon G.o.d’s Claws’ were owned by a Zerdian tribe was never more than a legend in the first place. In any case, Garda personally handed one of them to Yasch and recognised him as king, while he himself excavated the ruins that had stood throughout the Tauran lands since the time of the Ancient Magic Dynasty and wracked his brains over studying them. And Garda’s magical powers increased proportionally to that, until finally, he was so powerful that not even King Yasch himself could interfere with him, says the memorandum.”

“…”

“And then, Barbaroi.”

Ravan directed a glance at Orba.

“The author states that Garda held an uncommon degree of interest in Barbaroi. The legendary territory said to be by the sh.o.r.es of Lake Kurán. Whether he had any basis for his belief in it, I don’t know, but what is certain is that at some point, Garda had some form of ‘contact’ with Barbaroi.”

“When you say ‘contact’…?”

“Garda himself personally visited it and there is what appears to be a description of his return. Since the author did not accompany him, the details are unclear however. Did he attempt to hold a dialogue with the Ryuujin tribe that lived in Barbaroi, did he lead a raid against them, or did it even perhaps go as far as war… Anyway, the memorandum goes on to say that from that time, Garda acquired a woman.

“A woman?”

“Yes. The author of the memorandum speculates that Garda might have taken this woman away from the Barbaroi village. Here is a description of her: ‘in appearance, she is much like a Zerdian, but her pale hair is unlike that of any of the people on this planet. Furthermore, her entire body is tattooed with unintelligible designs and she does not vocalise human words.’ Garda seems to have spent most of his time locked up in the sorcery research facility built beneath the temple, so that even the author, who at the time still had Garda’s trust and could even be called something like his right-hand man, could only seldom meet with him. The author talks about how Garda might have made this mysterious woman into an object of research into sorcery. And then...”

Ravan, who had spoken in a single breath, paused to inhale .

“And then, the woman seems to have been called a ‘Dragon maiden’ by the researchers who were close to Garda.”

“A Dragon maiden.”

“Indeed. They are beings who are also mentioned in the legends about Barbaroi. In exchange for not having human voices, they need only emit a single sound to control dragons as they please.”

Orba remembered having heard something similar. If he remembered correctly, it was just after he became a mercenary of Taúlia that his fellow mercenary Stan had told him the same tale.

And there was one more thing.

Halfway through listening to Ravan’s story, he could not help but call to mind a certain acquaintance of his. There were many similarities.

He did not seem to be surprised and shaken to the core. Rather, Orba was serenity itself. That was because the girl who had spontaneously appeared in his mind always wore the same unchanging smile.

Well, I’ll hear about it when she feels like it – was all he thought about it.

Ravan Dol had said that he had previously seen ‘her’ on the battlefield. So there was no doubt that he was trying to connect this story with her, but even so, Ravan did not talk about it any further.

“Garda still being alive is honestly hard to believe. If a sorcerer could continue to live after having his head cut off, he would have to be a being that distorts the very laws of life itself. But if Sir Ax’s life really is being targeted, we can’t afford any lies or careless remarks. It’s not for me to say this, but make sure there’s a strict watch around his person.”

“I understand. Just to be on the safe side, we are currently investigating the temple ruins in Zer Illias and probing into the area around Lake Kurán where the Barbaroi village is believed to be.”

As expected, there were no oversights from that strategist.

There were certainly many points he was still curious about, but for now, Orba decided to put this conversation aside. His own war was waiting very close at hand.

Part 3

By the time he was finally reaching the end of his round of greetings, the evening was fast approaching. But –

“Found you!”

“So this is where you were?”

The Twin Dragons Moldorf and Nilgif, followed by Lasvius, Helio’s commander of the dragoons, ran up to Orba.

As soon as he arrived beside him, Nilgif wound an arm that was just as thick as Gilliam’s around Orba’s shoulders and urged –

“Come join us. And no saying no.”

His breath already reeked of alcohol.

At Orba’s resigned expression, Lasvius stealthily whispered from behind him,

“Don’t worry. Tomorrow we have an informal war council with Sir Ax. Most likely about organising the troop of a thousand to be the reinforcements for Mephius. The Twin Dragons have already drunk plenty so you won’t have to keep them company for long.”

That was an outright lie.

The Twin Dragons of Kadyne, Helio’s Lasvius, as well as...o...b.. and Gilliam, who had joined them at some point, were occupying the second floor of a comparatively large inn and were having platters of food and drink brought in one after another. Trade between Tauran and the north had just resumed and, on top of that, the various city-states had in turn presented gifts of food and wine to “Lord Ax, the leader of the west” so that in Taúlia, the mood of thrift that had accompanied the war only recently and suddenly turned into one of gaiety.

What do you mean, ‘not for long’?

Lasvius, the very one who had vouched for that, did not have a high tolerance for alcohol and had left in less than an hour; and Orba had the distinct feeling that the Twin Dragons had, from the start, no intention of letting him go until morning as they kept offering him wine cup after wine cup.

“It’s a contest,” he had been told, but apart from those involving swords, horses or a battle of wits, Orba had no concept of ‘contest’.

He was very much afraid of revealing his real ident.i.ty if he got too muddled up but no matter how much he set his mind to not getting wasted, the more time pa.s.sed, the more he became light-headed and he repeatedly had to shake off the drowsiness that was creeping into the back of his consciousness.

“So you were on a mission for the crown prince of Mephius?” Nilgif had been going over the same topic for a while now. “Is that sharp brain also something you learned from him? The etiquette and methods of war are probably different between the west and Mephius,” he nodded with conviction to himself as he thought it over. “Huh? Your gla.s.s is empty. Well then, have a refill.”

He started to fill the cup to the brim. It seemed that Nilgif had no patience for a situation in which the wine was not constantly flowing.

“No, I’ve had enough.”

“What’re you saying? I bet it’s because you still resent us for the time when we were enemies and haven’t opened your heart to us yet. Am I wrong? Right, we warriors are the sort that feel that whatever the past, once we drink together, we’re like comrades-in-arms who have had each other’s backs since long ago. Here, drink, come on, drink, just drink!”

Orba had long since pa.s.sed his limit. How long had it been since they had entered this store? His sense of time was become increasingly vague and he finally succ.u.mbed to sleep, starting to nod like a boat bobbing up and down.

As soon as he noticed it, Nilgif made to slap him on the back to wake him up, but then, his eyes happened to fall on the mask.

Glancing around, miraculously, no one was looking that way. His brother Moldorf had only just left his seat. He must have gone to the kitchen to order something directly.

He softly cleared his throat once.

There was no sign of Orba waking up.

Nilgif gulped. Slowly, taking his time, he stretched out his large arm. A dark shadow fell on Orba’s mask. He still did not wake up. As he gradually extended his fingers, Nilgif felt the touch of iron.

“Sir Nilgif.”

A voice called out from behind and the Blue Dragon’s burly shoulders leapt up. Looking around, it was Gilliam with a bottle of alcohol in hand. Although they had not encountered him on the battlefield, the Twin Dragons had taken an instant liking to this Mephian soldier.

“What are you doing?”

“N-Nothing.”

“Then let’s have another drinking contest. Morning is still far away.”

“Just what I wanted.”

Hearing that exchange, Orba suddenly woke up. At some point, the Red Dragon Moldorf had also reappeared nearby.

“That was dangerous.”

“What was?”

“Weeeell, who knows. So, are you joining us?”

“No, I’ve had enough to drink.”

Instead, Moldorf invited Orba to go outside the inn and behind the building. Thinking that anything would do as long as he could escape from the alcohol, Orba quietly went along. The gentle touch of the night breeze felt good against his flushed skin.

As he was wondering what they were doing there, Moldorf exposed his lower half and vigorously spewed forth from it.

They were in Taúlia’s better residential area, in a slightly elevated location. Moldorf’s urine drew an arc, flew over the fence and disappeared among the flickering city lights beneath them.

“Go to the privy. Why come here especially?”

“It was jammed packed when I went earlier.”

Orba sighed but before long he too felt the urge to urinate and, in the end, started p.i.s.sing outdoors alongside Moldorf.

Sometime later.

“This Gil fellow that you serve,” Moldorf asked abruptly. “What kind of man is he?”

“A man with many secrets.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet.”

Moldorf laughed. Because he was still urinating energetically as he shook, Orba leapt to one side.

This bravest of all the western generals had seen Orba’s face when he had removed his mask in the temple at Eimen. And he had, of course, been present that very day when Orba had appeared in Taúlia’s audience chamber as Gil Mephius.

“Conversely,” this time the question came from Orba, “how does the Red Dragon see that man?”

“He doesn’t give himself room to relax.”

“Room to relax?”

“Or rather, outwardly, he pretends to be relaxed. Taken the opposite way, that’s proof that his heart doesn’t have the leeway to be as composed as he pretends. Although the show he put on wasn’t bad, I haven’t acc.u.mulated all these years beneath my belt for nothing. The hidden side of such a heart is easy to read.”

“I see.”

Orba had already emptied his bladder but Moldorf was still going on.

“Moreover, it’s best not to create too much distance from yourself. If someone is always on their guard, even more than for the person himself, the hearts of those below them will shrivel. Being a prince is different from being a platoon leader. The number of lives they’re responsible for is different, and so is the number of people watching them.”

“…”

“I wonder if that was meant to be taken seriously.”

“That?”

“Sir Ax said that he wanted to have you marry the princess.” The momentum having finally abated, Moldorf jiggled his large body up and down while he laughed.

“Oh, King Ax did, did he?” Orba acted as though he was hearing about it for the first time.

Moldorf glanced at him sideways. So you didn’t fall for it? his expression seemed to say but then he immediately burst out laughing.

“It’s like what we were talking about earlier but above all, it’s a very good example. Take a look at Sir Ax. Does that lord even know how to create a distance? But that’s absolutely fine by me. His retainers and his people are also really carefree. It’s my first time coming here, but I’ll remember Taúlia with all the nostalgia I would my hometown.”

The next day, Gil Mephius bade his farewells to Taúlia’s court and, properly showing his face this time, he made his way to the air carrier, showered in cheers from the people.

That he sometimes swayed as he rode along, was it because the serious gun injury he had received had still not healed, even several months after the fact? And since his complexion was pale, it gave rise to needless speculation among the crowd that was seeing him off.

“It’s absolutely heart-rending that the crown prince of Mephius almost lost his life because of a base, cowardly va.s.sal.”

“Even though he’s in this state, he came all the way back here for our master, Lord Ax. He’s such a gallant man.”

“Ah, he’s waving his hand this way! Prince, Prince Giiiil!”

Gil Mephius – which is to say, Orba, somehow managed his horse while enduring the violent nausea in his gut. It felt like his stomach was roiling like the sea in a storm every time he was jolted up and down on horseback, but even so, when the horse had taken a few steps beyond the castle gate, he suddenly turned his head over his shoulder and looked up high above his head.

Esmena Bazgan was at a castle window.

Orba nodded lightly and then once again faced forward.

Where he was headed was, of course, Mephius. Apta.

Nabarl would soon be arriving in Solon and would transmit the report of the crown prince’s survival. Which meant –

Finally.

The fight would start. Orba’s personal fight.

<script>