Volume 10 Chapter 2 (2/2)

”What will those of us you've left behind do if we lose you now too?” Dolph had wavered. From the start, he had only had the smallest hope of being successful in his revenge.

It was at that point that Raymond, hearing about the situation, had rushed to find him.

”Please, Dolph. Endure. I am going to gallop to Solon right now. I intend to appeal directly to His Majesty about this.”

In honour of the completion of the new temple in Solon, Jairus himself also planned to go to the capital. Raymond would bring Jairus' actions to the light under his very eyes.

”Don't do anything hasty before I return. Have faith in me please and wait.”

Although he was young, Raymond was a n.o.ble who acted out of care for the people of the fief. When that Raymond was pleading with him with such a desperate expression, Dolph could do nothing but agree to his request.

Afterwards, Dolph's heart was plunged into turmoil for a while as Raymond was imprisoned in punishment, but he was soon released.

And after that, it was the country that was thrown into an uproar. They had heard that there had been a battle near Apta, in the southwest, with Taúlia, and a large army brandis.h.i.+ng spears had headed west by way of Nedain; but, just when they had been thinking that they were headed for war with Taúlia again, it turned out that these troops were going to face the impostor crown prince in Apta.

The quiet, rural town of Nedain was thrown into chaos.

Airs.h.i.+ps were sent in all directions from the town, even though it meant using what little ether they had. Raymond himself was run off his feet as he worked on intelligence gathering and plans for ensuring the people's security.

And on top of all of that, Jairus gathered together three hundred militiamen and ordered them to man Nedain's fortress.

Just how many of the good people of this domain do you really think would risk their lives to protect yours? He almost blurted out those words but just managed to swallow them.

It was during that time that the young man had been executed. Raymond had no time to halt it. When he had heard that the youth was Dolph's brother, he had immediately leaped on a horse.

It was the same as when the village had been burned to the ground. By the time he had arrived at the quarry, Dolph had already rushed out. He followed him without a moment's delay. He had only just managed to catch up with him when he was already halfway to Nedain.

This time however, Dolph would not listen to him. In his hand, he was clutching a pickaxe. He raged on that he would definitely, definitely bring it down on Jairus' neck.

Raymond, who had jumped from his horse, was practically clinging to Dolph's back. No matter how many times he was shaken off, Raymond did not give up. In the hand that was not grasping the pickaxe, Dolph was gripping a small box.

He did not know what was inside. But Raymond could guess. He had heard from the gossip among Dolph's fellow workers that Dolph, who was by nature a lover of wine and women, had not gone drinking with them or gone to enjoy himself with prost.i.tutes for several months. He had surely been saving his meagre wages in order to buy a wedding present for his little brother.

When Raymond realised that, he drew the sword that was at his waist.

”And now, are you going to kill me?” Dolph had screamed at him in tears. It was obvious from his att.i.tude that he was prepared to resist to the bitter end, but Raymond instead grasped his hand and put the sword hilt in it. He whispered in the ear of the utterly dumbfounded Dolph -

”Kill Jairus with this sword.” Raymond had repeatedly been flung to the ground and his face was covered in sweat and dirt and tears. ”But I won't let go of its hilt either. We'll do it together, Dolph.”

”L-Lord Raymond...”

”But not now. If we try to kill Jairus with just the two of us, we will only fail. There is no sense in that. We'll gather enough people, wait for the right time, and we will definitely drive Jairus into a corner.”

At the moment when he said that, Raymond had neither a plan nor confidence in their chances of success. But those were not words that were simply meant to buy time either. At that time, Raymond very certainly made the decision to chase Jairus Abigoal out of Nedain.

And the current of the times was with them.

Needless to say, the faction led by the one who called himself Prince Gil and denounced the emperor's actions had defeated the large army that had been dispatched from the capital. The lord of Birac, Fedom Aulin, immediately sent out appeals, having clearly switched to the crown prince's side.

The effect of these was huge. With Raymond and Dolph at the centre, men who were dissatisfied with Jairus were a.s.sembled together.

”Lord Raymond, we're glad that you often come here, but has it not been noticed?”

”It's all right,” Dolph had entirely become the leader of the anti-Jairus group. Raymond felt no reserve about it either. The young n.o.bleman smiled with irony, ”I was under surveillance right after being released from confinement, but the others are completely rea.s.sured by now. At the time, Jairus' son seemed to always be hunting in the nearby forest.”

”Oh? Hunting.”

”Even though to all appearances, they should not have the leisure to spare. Jairus has also been running around recently gathering soldiers. He seems to constantly be sending messengers to Solon.”

”Then…”

”Yes. An opportunity will definitely appear soon.” Raymond nodded firmly.

Excitement instantly ran through the men. So many eyes were s.h.i.+ning brightly from the blackened faces that even Raymond felt dazzled for a moment.

Still, no matter how much energy they had piled up, they could not, of course, capture Nedain Fortress with just three hundred alone. When he saw a chance, Raymond would go to Birac where he intended to meet with the crown prince.

To ask him to dispatch troops.

At that time, the three hundred would riot within Nedain.

After he set a village alight for sheltering a single slave, and then hanged a young man for joking around when drunk, Jairus feared a revolt in his territory. Or to be more accurate, he feared that the emperor would hear of such a thing.

Since Zaat Quark's rebellion during the Founding Festival, as well as the slaves of Kilro all rising at once, the emperor had become terrifyingly well-attuned to similar issues.

Jairus could not afford to ignore this. To prevent the fire from spreading, he would certainly use greater armed force than was necessary to beat down any men who might rise to action.

There were preparations in place for the men to escape to the stone quarry once the soldiers drew near. Jairus' men would surely pursue after them.

Raymond would guide the crown prince there. After all, Jairus' troops would look down on their opponents as being just rabble that was unused to using weapons, and so they would be helpless when faced with a surprise attack.

Separated from a great many of his men, Jairus would be as good as naked.

He could picture in his mind the scene of the crown prince entering Nedain in grand style. Beside him there would surely be his fiancée, Princess Vileena. Raymond Peacelow felt his chest grow warm. He had heard the rumour that, when he had been held captive, the one who had approached the lord of Nedain about his release was none other than the Garberan princess.

The Prince who honoured justice and the princess who had saved one such as himself. If these two people would also save Nedain, he felt that not only his and his companions' future, but also the future of all of Mephius would be bright.

”But for that, we need to maintain the utmost caution. Don't do anything hasty, Dolph.”

”Of course,” Dolph struck his fist against his rock-firm chest. ”If it means being able to tie a rope around Jairus and Boyce's necks with my own hands, I'd even sit in a fire and wait.”

Boyce Abigoal. Raymond recalled how they had pa.s.sed one another by that evening.

When the village had been set alight, it was, of course, Jairus who had given the order, but it was actually his son Boyce who had carried out the action. He was a man who spent his time hunting from morning till night. He had aimed his gun at the people of the fief just as he would at deer or wild boars, and then raised his sword to slaughter women and children.

Raymond frequently went to the villages that surrounded Nedain. Just as those who mocked it said, the town was undeniably provincial. But because of that, the people all had simple, warm characters. And of course, those living in the village that had been set alight had all been well-known to him.

Unforgivable - Raymond's sense of that towards Boyce might be even greater than that of those who had lost family members.

”What's that?” Asked Dolph when he saw Raymond hang something from the bracket that was used to hold a pine torch to the stone wall.

A flower. An artificial flower that seemed to have been made by folding thin sheets of paper.

”A charm,” Raymond smiled faintly. ”Louise folded it for everyone last night.”

”Lady Louise did?”

When they heard the name of Raymond's younger sister, the men all crowded around the pale artificial flower.

She, just like Raymond, was very popular in the various villages. Her health was by no means robust, so she did not frequently visit the villages in person in the same way that her brother did, but her fair and unprejudiced personality was widely known among the villagers.

”Oh, it's beautiful.”

”Idiot, don't touch it! It'll get broken if you touch it with your rough fingers.”

”What was that!”

The atmosphere grew boisterous.

Folding paper flowers was something like an old custom within the Peacelow family. Or rather, it was a kind of tradition that was still handed down in the northern region of Garbera that had once been their territory.

When a daughter from the Peacelow House turned fifteen years old, she received a present of high-quality paper from her mother. She was to use them to fold flowers for her friends and for the people who had taken care of her, only this time as a present from herself. And lastly, with the remaining paper, she would fold herself a bouquet once her marriage had been decided.

”Oi, Molt. Don't stay in that corner and come see.”

”Ah, y-yeah.”

”Watch it, you're always so clumsy, you might touch it and mess it up.”

The men were probably superimposing the image of the girl they would have seen no more than once or twice with the origami flower. Their vigour now was clearly different from the dazzle they had had until just moments ago, and Raymond smiled wryly at the scene.

The siblings' parents had died when Raymond was young. Their father had been killed ten years ago, in the very first battle at the start of the war with Garbera. Since the Peacelow House had originally been a Garberan family, he was concerned that they would come under intense criticism and so he had taken the initiative of leading a troop and joining the battle.

Their mother's health collapsed when she heard of their father's death and she soon pa.s.sed away. Raymond had been fifteen at the time. He succeeded as head of the household with no time to properly grieve for the loss of both his parents.

The year before last, when Louise had also reached the age of fifteen, Raymond had given her the gift of paper in their mother's place.

The flower that was now decorating the stone wall was the first one she had folded. Since it was the first, in all honesty, it was not that good. In his memory, his mother's paper flowers were much daintier and far more elaborate.

But still, this first flower that his little sister had painstakingly folded seemed to s.h.i.+ne on its surroundings. It seemed to symbolise the present and future of the Peacelow House.

The perfect opportunity finally arose.

Jairus Abigoal would be leaving for the capital. He was probably going to plead directly for reinforcements, or perhaps a dispatch had already been decided and he was going there to organise the troops, including those for the garrison.

Boyce, who was in charge of defending Nedain in his father's place until he returned, was spending his days hunting, just as he always did.

Right - Raymond made up his mind. He would head for Birac when the sun set.

Since Nedain's garrison took it in turns to watch over the highway, he would avoid that route. There was a good chance that the River Zwimm, which ran between the two cities, would also have lookouts. He followed a detour south and galloped hard, it should take him three or four days.

His preparations for food and provisions were already complete. Raymond called together the pages and stewards of the Peacelow House.

”I will be away for a short while.”

He avoided talking about his destination, but almost everyone could sense something of the situation. They all nodded with serious expressions or while shedding tears. When Raymond, the current head of the family, had been imprisoned, they had all endured the humiliation and the anxiety. None of them opposed his decision.

His sister Louise, who never spoke much, did not say anything in particular now either, as she looked at him with her large, anxious-looking eyes. But when he was finally about to depart, Louise, who seeing him off, suddenly held out her hand to him.

”Brother,” in her palm, there was a white origami. It was so small that it seemed likely to be blown away in the evening breeze. Raymond took it and tucked it in at his breast.

”Have I gotten a bit better?” Louise smiled shyly.

Raymond smiled too and shook his head. ”Not there yet. You need to polish your skills much, much more before you marriage is arranged.”

When he said that, his sister blushed for a variety of reasons.

Sunset. With the dark mountain ridges behind him, Raymond was hurtling along on horseback.

Finally.

History was moving.

The future was changing.

And in that future, the people's lives would be bright and he would find a partner for Louise and send her towards a happy married life. Raymond Peacelow was setting off as the first step towards that.

Without noticing the shadow that watched intently from behind him as he galloped away from the highway.

Raymond pa.s.sed through the gates of Birac.

He had taken short breaks several times along the way to allow his horse to rest, still he had galloped almost all night. It was now early dawn of the fourth day since he had left Nedain.

Young though he was, he could not hide his exhaustion. But when he thought of his sister and companions whom he had left in Nedain, he felt that he could not possibly lie down to sleep.

Early in the morning, he proceeded towards Lord Aulin's residence and informed the soldiers on guard at the gate of his ident.i.ty. He was wondering how long he would be asked to wait but -

”I'll see him at once,” the crown prince replied with an immediate meeting.

Two hours after arriving in Birac, Raymond was sitting directly across a table from Crown Prince Gil Mephius. Although the night had barely just given way to dawn, there was no trace of fatigue or sleepiness on the prince's face.

This person...

He had known it of course, but he realised it anew seeing him directly -

… is young.

There was something frankly unbelievable in the fact that this crown prince, who at a glance looked like a young boy, had accomplished so many feats of arms in so little time.

However, sitting directly opposite him and facing him head on, it was also a fact that the other had a deeply impressive presence.

Immediately after they had exchanged greetings,

”So, you who is employed by the lord of Nedain, what business do you have with me, whose head is currently wanted throughout Mephius?” Gil Mephius asked. He drew his hand across his throat like a sword. ”Spurred on by righteous indignation, have you come to 'collect' me all by yourself?”

”T-That is absurd...”

”Then speak.”

Having been caught up in the prince's pace right from the start, Raymond talked about the current situation in Nedain and about Lord Jairus Abigoal's evil deeds. Gil did not interrupt to say a single word. Finally, when they arrived at the main issue -

”I have brought you some food,” a voice came from the other side of the door.

”Come back later,” Gil started to say but then, for some reason, faltered partway. With a scowl, he altered his tone and his words -

”Please come in.”

The door opened and the figure of a girl with platinum hair appeared.

Ah - Raymond exclaimed unthinkingly. He then stood straight, in an att.i.tude even more at respectful attention than he had when Gil Mephius had entered the room.

With Teresia, her head lady's maid, behind her, Princess Vileena set the food from a tray onto the table. Watching the warm steam rising from it, Prince Gil asked with a sullen expression -

”Princess, why are you here?”

”I heard that even though you had not yet had breakfast, you had already begun to work, Your Highness. It is good to be enthusiastic, but pus.h.i.+ng yourself too hard is harmful to the health. Now then, you too Sir Peacelow.”

The Princess spoke cheerfully but, since she already knew his guest's name, it looked like she had come to warn him - don't do things sneakily.

While Gil was sighing off to one side, the princess smiled and curtsied to Raymond.

”This is the first time I have the pleasure of seeing you.”

”Yes!” Raymond was still standing straight. ”I have not forgotten for a moment that it was by your grace that I was saved at that time. However, I did not have the opportunity to express my grat.i.tude to you before today. My impoliteness is…”

”But in what way?” The Princess personally added milk to the two men's cups. ”Now, please have some while it is warm.”

”I don't think it's really possible but, did you make it, Princess?”

”Not possible?” The Princess smiled and turned towards Gil. ”What is not really possible, Your Highness?”

”N-Nothing.”

After a short breakfast, Raymond went into the main issue.

Incidentally, Princess Vileena had remained within the room. For a moment, Raymond had been worried about it, but Gil shook his head and urged him on, saying ”don't mind it.” He mostly looked resigned.

Raymond nodded and explained about the plan that was in motion in Nedain. When he gave the signal, a riot would immediately break out inside the town. Jairus would certainly use a large force to suppress it. They would lure those troops to the quarry, then with the prince's help…

After hearing him out to the end, Gil drained the milk that was leftover in his cup and, in what looked like a gesture born from habit, waved the cup behind him to ask for a second serving. Since the one who stepped forward was the princess, for a second, his expression turned into a scowl again, but he meekly waited while she refilled it before saying -

”Interesting. If the plan works, we can take Nedain without any effort. Raymond, do you have experience with warfare?”

”I'm ashamed to say it, but no, none,” Raymond lowered his eyes. ”Both my grandfather and my father were warriors born and bred, so I learned the basics, but there are not currently any soldiers serving the Peacelow House and I'm presently living at the mansion with my only family member. I was not favoured with any opportunity to achieve success on the battlefield.”

Who could say how much of the other's circ.u.mstances Gil managed to grasp thanks to what he had just said. He once more drained his cup to about three-quarters empty.

”Well, Nedain Fortress might find itself in a strategic position soon,” he said offhandedly.

As for Raymond, he felt a little dizzy.

”However,” Gil's expression and voice both changed, ”I said it earlier, but I'm the one that Mephius' Emperor has denounced as an impostor. Why did you decided to believe me?”

The way he asked the question was like he was probing the intentions of an enemy general. Raymond felt overawed but still just managed to force his voice out.

”Of course, it is because I believe that Your Highness honours justice and…”

”That has nothing to do with anything,” Gil said flatly and, for a second, Raymond averted his eyes.

”What's the matter? Say it openly.”

”I-It may be presumptuous of me to say.” Raymond looked at the 'crown prince' before him with neither reverence nor dread, but only with his own resolve. ”I did not believe in the prince, I believed in Her Highness, the princess, who saved me. Since she is by your side, most probably... no, certainly, there can be no mistake that you are the real crown prince.”

”Oh,” the prince and princess exchanged glances, then, ”very well. Then I'll also believe you, who believes the princess.”

A messenger had arrived from Raymond. He was a soldier from Birac Fortress who was disguised as a pedlar. Dolph's hand shook when he received the letter from him.

It said that a military force would leave from Birac late that night. Two days from then, they would be waiting in watch by the highway, which was when they were to riot and lure Jairus' soldiers away.

It was finally time to put their plan into action, in other words, it was time to s.n.a.t.c.h Nedain out of the hands of a foolish usurper; and for Dolph, it was time to accomplish the revenge that he been waiting for for so long.

At midnight of the next day, all of the companions gathered at the quarry. After finis.h.i.+ng their final preparations there, they would disperse throughout Nedain in units of fifty men. They would cause disturbances, and set fire to empty houses and to stores belonging to merchants who acted as purveyors to the Abigoal House. Once the troops were sent out, they would once again a.s.semble at the quarry. That was the planned sequence of events.

Dolph treated everyone to the wine that he had been keeping back for the occasion.

”Finally,” everyone said and clapped Dolph on the shoulder.

He drank while nodding back. He had always had a strong head for alcohol, but that night in particular, it did not get him drunk.

Weapons that they had sc.r.a.ped together from all over were leaning in a row within the man-made cave. There were only a few spears and swords, with the rest being pickaxes or hoes at best. Even so, in Dolph's eyes, they represented unsurpa.s.sed strength and the symbol of victory.

There was also a single artificial flower decorating the wall. If his little brother's wedding had been held as planned, the bride would surely have worn similar flowers in her hair.

With his wine in one hand, Dolph wept.

At around the same time, a man who was entirely concealed beneath his hooded cloak swaggered into sight at the entrance of a path that led straight to the quarry. The figures of other men in similar attire followed behind him.

The men on lookout, just as they had when they stopped Raymond, pretended to be drunk and went up to them.

”Yo, newcomers? Brought any booze with you?”

It had been arranged that about thirty men who endorsed their goals would be joining them that evening. That was an achievement which had been accomplished by Molt, a man who had partic.i.p.ated in the plan from the first. He was originally a farmer and was not a man who usually stood out, so everyone had been astonished and had praised him tremendously for his feat on the previous evening.

That group, led by Molt, had arrived.

”We'll drink a toast in Solon -”

Upon hearing the pa.s.sword, the man on watch felt rea.s.sured and started to turn back to go and inform his comrades in the quarry.

And in that second, a sword was drawn from beneath the cloak.

”- but did you think you'd be sharing it?”

The man who had been on watch fell without a sound. The blood-spattered cloak was flung aside.

”Go!”

The man in the lead yelled, brandis.h.i.+ng his sword, and the soldiers flooded into the quarry, their rough voices reverberating.

Soon there was the uninterrupted sound of gunshots.

Screams that would have pinned a normal man to the spot if he had heard them welled up one after another. Caught in a surprise attack, ordinary people were no possible match against that troop from Nedain's defence forces under Boyce Abigoal's command.

The artificial cave was quickly filled with the corpses of those who had taken a bullet or a blow to the head from an axe or a sword.

”F-f.u.c.kers.”

Wielding a sword, Dolph put up a desperate resistance, but a soldier's sword sent both his weapon and his wrist flying through the air.

”Guah!” With a cry of pain that sounded like that of a crushed frog, Dolph crouched to the ground in pain. The blood spraying from his severed wrist stained the flower on the wall a dark red, and the secret ma.s.sacre continued.

”Shouldn't it soon be starting?”

Boyce Abigoal muttered as he looked up at the night sky filled with twinkling stars. He had not gone to the quarry. What currently lay in front of his eyes was the Peacelow mansion.

”Raymond is a fool,” Boyce's clean-cut features wore a vicious smile.

For a while after he had been released, they had deliberately had soldiers keep him under conspicuous surveillance. But as soon as those soldiers had been removed, Raymond became completely careless. Immediately after Dolph's brother was executed, they had once again reinforced their watch on Raymond to see if he was not getting any strange ideas again.

And Raymond had hatched a plan, just as they had thought - or rather, one that went far beyond what they had expected.

But this is a good chance.

Boyce had persuaded his father to make use of Raymond's plot and to make preparations to ambush the soldiers who would be sent from Birac. Jairus going to Solon was certainly to formally request reinforcements, but it also served the purpose of giving Raymond free rein.

If I can defeat the impostor crown prince before reinforcements arrive from Solon, His Majesty's evaluation of the Abigoal House would all at once rise exponentially. He thought about how he might even receive an exceptional promotion and be made one of the twelve generals in place of Folker or Yuriah who had failed to subjugate the impostor.

That ambition dyed his heart completely black.

He was a man who had not one ounce of compa.s.sion towards those commoners. That was something he had inherited from his father. His heart did not feel so much as a twinge of pain at knowing that they were deliberately staging a rebellion and, furthermore, that their plan involved slaughtering his father and him.

Quite the opposite, he had won over the man called Molt in order to perfect the plan. Because his mother was ill, Molt urgently needed money. Boyce had paid from his own pocket to call in a doctor from Solon and had made the farmer into his spy.

By now, the quarry would have become a one-sided hunting ground. The hunt-loving Boyce did feel like wanting to go there, but he had something else to do.

Right.

”Let's go,” he called out to the line of fully-armed soldiers then forcibly intruded into the Peacelow house.

By that time, a minor ruckus had broken out inside the mansion.

However, it was not because they had been able to predict the surprise attack. Rather, just in case the worse happened, Raymond had taken in about a dozen young children belonging to those who were involved in the rebellion. The children of course knew nothing about the situation. They had simply been told that it was because their fathers had to work overnight.

At first, they had been as quiet as lambs, but the children were between five and ten-years-old, and were at the ages when they most wanted to play. Even though all of them seemed to fall asleep as Louise read to them by their bedside, they were all over-excited by the change of environment and by seeing such a large mansion for the first time. Waking up again at midnight, they immediately started playing tag and hide-and-seek.

And into that -

”Where's Raymond?” Boyce had violently come trampling into the mansion.

And of course, because men in helmets and armour had appeared, the children had run screaming.

”W-What do you want? At this hour…” A long-serving steward to the Peacelow House went to intercept them but Boyce treated him like nothing but a pain and swept him aside with a swing of his brawny arm.

”Search for Raymond! I'll see that rebel hanged.” Shouting angrily, he smashed his way into one room after another, knocking over tables and slicing at pillars.

Boyce was, of course, well-aware that Raymond was not there.

He went up to the second floor and kicked open a door. The children had been lying hidden. Like kindling set alight, they all started crying at once.

”Lord Boyce, this is - outrageous.” Louise rushed over, her face pale.

Boyce's eyes gleamed ferociously as turned towards her. He had had his sights on her for a long time. And especially when they had pa.s.sed by each other near the Abigoal mansion recently: he could not forget how her limbs had seemed to give off heat as she had slipped quickly past him.

Already at the time, he had expected that this would happen. The ache of l.u.s.t swelled until it was unbearable.

”Where is your brother, Raymond? Why isn't he at home?”

Boyce heard her gulp. Louise's large eyes darted around restlessly.

”M-My brother has gone to one of the neighbouring villages. There was an emergency and…”

”Hmph, don't pretend ignorance. Did you think I didn't know? What do you think is happening right now to the fools who gathered at the quarry?”

Louise looked startled, then her entire body started to tremble.

”You… Y-You… You can't have…”

”Judging by your reaction, it looks like you also knew about the plan to rebel. Come! I'll examine you in person.”

Seizing her slender arms that looked as though they might break from it, Boyce dragged Louise to an empty room.

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