Vol 11 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Chapter 3

Part 1

When she woke up, she was greeted by the sight of a dearly missed face.

The hour appeared to already be close to evening; the rays of sunlight streaming through the window were faintly red.

Blinking her eyes, Vileena Owell whispered, “Grandfather…” and broke into a smile towards that dearly missed face that was looking towards her.

“Still… I’m still asleep, aren’t I?”

Her grandfather, Jeorg Owell, smiled back.

Each season, Vileena had the habit of spending some time with her grandfather at the detached palace. They would go fis.h.i.+ng, or she would accompany him when he went hunting, they would play at war, and would generally have fun together outdoors.

Whenever she would fall asleep, exhausted from having played, Jeorg would carry his granddaughter home on his back, and would gently watch over her until she woke up in her bed.

“Are you going to sleep like that? Or is my rambunctious princess starving, and is it about time for dinner?”

Those words too were nostalgic, unchanged from the past. Afterwards, they would eat, surrounded by servants who, fittingly for her grandfather’s personal attendants, were energetic yet never made a wasted movement, and who were always smiling kindly. And after that, she would excitedly listen as her grandfather read old heroic tales.

Ah – While bittersweet emotions spread out throughout her chest, Vileena also felt a piercing point of pain. No matter how much she wanted to immerse herself in nostalgic memories, a voice urged her that it couldn’t be. Her grandfather could not be here. No, it was the other way around, the one who originally could not be here was her.

A dream… Am I dreaming?

a.s.sailed by an unspeakable sadness, she felt the back of her eyelids grow hot.

“Grandfather. You’re here, you’re really here, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“I never do anything except depend on you, Grandfather. I made up my mind so many times to do what I have to do by myself. But at the most important point, I always end up wanting to see you, Grandfather, and have you scold me. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To scold this weak me.”

Oh? – Listening to Vileena’s abstracted recollections, Jeorg raised his eyebrows. He cleared his throat.

“It doesn’t matter. Just before you left for Mephius, when we parted at the detached palace, I was prepared to never see you again in this life. So to be able to see you like this again, even though only in a dream, is enough to make me happy.”

“I was an idiot back then.”

Vileena muttered, staring up at the ceiling. It was not one that she recognised. It was different from the one at the detached palace. Even though this was a dream, not everything matched up with the ideals.

“Back then, even though I was leaving Garbera to marry into Mephius, even so, I thought that I would definitely be able to see you again soon, Grandfather. Back then, Mephius was only an enemy country to be hated and defeated. I thought that I would definitely return in triumph after having sounded out that enemy country’s internal situation and grasped hold of the secrets that would give victory to Garbera. But…”

“But?”

“Soon, I will no longer be Garberan. Vileena’s eyelids trembled like those of a soldier stepping forward on a battlefield. “Sooner or later, I will become Mephian. That is what I decided. That is the land I should return to; it’s the people living in that land that I should love.”

At that instant, Jeorg’s expression changed. His white eyebrows drew together and he pursed his lips tightly. Vil

eena’s chest tightened. It was the equivalent of her saying that if anything happened between the two countries, she would turn a bow even against her own grandfather. Considering Jeorg Owell’s personality, surely he would not disparage his granddaughter as a traitor.

Then –

“Nothing,” Jeorg smiled faintly. “Nothing could make me happier than to hear you say that.”

“Grandfather.”

“Because nothing could better prove that wherever you go, you are my beloved Vileena.”

Grandfather – Vileena was about to say again, but, for the second time, her voice would not come out. Overcome with emotion, she was about to sit up. A dull pain stabbed through her head. Her grandfather stretched out an arm to support her as she started to sway. It was thinner than in her memories, but it was undeniably endowed with strength and flesh.

In the moment that she felt the body heat from Jeorg’s skin, Vileena suddenly came to.

“G-Grandfather?” Her eyes sparkled like stars as she opened them wide in amazement and asked, “Grandfather, are you really here?”

“Indeed I am,” Jeorg winked. “Because even if you abandon your t.i.tle as a Garberan princess, the fact will never change that you’re my granddaughter.”

Amazement and joy spun around in turns inside Vileena’s mind, where her memories gradually fell into place.

Right, if her grandfather was really nearby, then this was undoubtedly Garberan territory. Yet this was neither the royal palace nor the detached palace where she had spent so much time with him. Upon asking, she was told that this was a room in Zaim Fortress. Zaim, which was a strategic location in the northwest of Garbera, which it guarded against the nearby Ende and Mephius.

“Coming to such a faraway place… Is your health alright?”

“I’ve been in very good shape recently. I’ve even been able to go horse-riding since a half a month ago, so don’t worry.”

As Jeorg gently answered her, Vileena almost smiled back at him without thinking about it, but just before doing so, she turned her face away with a jerk for exactly the reason that she had stated just a moment ago, during that affair where it was a dream. Because of her feelings that she could not rely on him forever. Although Grandfather said that he was in “good shape”, how long would he have to keep pus.h.i.+ng his own weakened body just because she herself was weak and unreliable?

However, as soon as her grandfather’s hand brushed against the cheek that she had turned away, the emotions she had been trying to hold back came cras.h.i.+ng down like a wave. She was too overwrought to go against them. The back of Vileena’s eyelids once again grew hot, and this time, she let her tears slide along her smooth cheeks. She turned back around and clung to her grandfather.

His warmth and scent reminded her of the days when she was simply protected by her grandfather and parents, of those days that were like being in a warm spot in the sun.

There was no holding herself back afterwards. Burying her face into her grandfather’s chest, words surged from her like billowing waves. There had been things that she had wanted to tell someone, and things that, conversely, she had told herself she had to keep to herself; but now the border between them burst easily, and she talked about everything that came to her mind, speaking so quickly that her voice could hardly keep up.

There were many people in Mephius who were so much warmer than she had thought when her image had been of an “enemy country”. A grandee called Simon was a lot like Grandfather. But he had died. Because he had carried his convictions through to the end. Emperor Guhl on the other hand was not like Grandfather. He trusted no one and did not seem to be trusted by anyone. He killed his retainers easily. He couldn’t be any more unlike Grandfather, could he? The gladiator games were undoubtedly savage, she could never come to like them, but it was definitely people who lived there.

And then –

“Prince Gil is…”

The girl who had been chatting energetically suddenly stopped after saying the prince’s name. Her grandfather laughed softly and offered her a helping hand.

“He’s like a child, and yet, he’s someone that you can’t let your guard down around, was it?”

At some point before – was it after the drama of Zaat Quark’s rebellion in Solon? – Vileena had written a letter to keep her grandfather informed. He had remembered that sentence.

“Yes,” Vileena smiled through her tears. “He is not the fool that the world says he is. But he is always carrying secrets that he can’t tell others, and he’s an obstinate person who hardly ever opens his heart.”

Just as she said that, a sudden thought occurred to her. Even though she had also intended to keep a number of things locked away in her breast, wrapped up like this in the arms of the grandfather, whom she relied on from the bottom of her heart, she was talking so easily. It was a joy to have someone you could tell anything to while tucked against their warm chest.

He…

Did he have anyone like that? Vileena wondered. He certainly had not been blessed when it came to family love. There was no better proof of that than the fact that he and his own father were fighting in open battle. His mother had already pa.s.sed away, and he was not related by blood to his current mother and sisters.

He seemed to have an unfathomable connection to some of his subordinates like s.h.i.+que, Gilliam or Hou Ran. s.h.i.+que however had lost his life in battle, and she did not think that he had any other companions that he could open up to in the same way.

Oh?

There was one other vitally important person. The former gladiator called Orba. Whenever Prince Gil set up a course of action, he would always be entrusted with the key role. In other words, you could say that he was the man that Gil relied on the most.

Yet even so, she could not picture the relations.h.i.+p between the two of them. That was partly because she had hardly ever seen them together in one place or talking to one another; but somehow or another, Vileena felt that some fundamental part of her perception of them that was lacking, or perhaps mistaken.

“Lonely,” Vileena blinked. “His Imperial Highness Gil Mephius is a lonely person. Thinking about it, Emperor Guhl, who oppresses his terrified retainers, also seems like a lonely person. Grandfather, why is that? Is that how statesmen are? Is that what it means to lead others?” “There is that side to it too,” Jeorg nodded. He gazed at his granddaughter who was wrapped in his arms, and whose expression gradually changed back from that of a small child being pampered to that of a ‘princess’. “The king stands alone and apart from the rest of the country. There is that side to it that you cannot help becoming conscious of, whether you want to or not. Because you do not need to look at history up until now to know that even your closest family members might target your life.”

“Yes,” the princess gave a slight nod.

Maybe it was because she had finally calmed down, but an uncontrollable flow of words was no longer pouring from her. Although, speaking truthfully, there was only one more topic left that she wanted to confide to someone else in. That was that – I killed someone.

As she talked to her grandfather, she had, little by little remembered the sequence of events that had led to her return to Garberan territory. Right, so as to turn out Salamand, a Garberan knight who had broken into Mephian territory, she had been lent a hundred soldiers and had personally confronted his unit.

Vileena had raised the muzzle of her gun and had aimed for Salamand’s chest.

Up until then, she had practiced shooting for self-defence. In the west, she had shot at an a.s.sa.s.sin who had had attacked the village. That time, she had aimed at the enemy’s feet.

But this time…

The memory of that moment was still vivid. The touch of the trigger, the feeling when she decided to attack – or rather, to ‘kill’ – Salamand.

As for her reaction? She had not wielded a blade first-hand, she had not cut through flesh and bone, but in that moment, Vileena had certainly felt the weight of life against her fingertip, and she had felt how she was going to steal that weight away.

She did not regret it.

She had been responsible for the hundred lives behind her. Further behind those hundred soldiers was Mephius’ imperial capital, Solon, and further still behind it was Prince Gil, who, along with his companions, was waiting to make his move.

Salamand had to be gotten rid of. It was not only for Mephius, he was also leading Garbera astray; and he was a barrier preventing the emperor and Prince Gil from meeting face-to-face.

And so, I got rid of him. And so, I don’t have any regrets – Vileena kept repeating to herself. She understood her own thoughts more than well enough to know that this sounded like an excuse.

She only just stopped herself from telling her grandfather about it. She could just about endure it.

She did not want her grandfather to hate her. She hated the thought that, if she talked about it, her heart would find comfort and be at ease. She felt that if she did so, she would lose the resolve she had felt when pulling the trigger.

It was not a story about the crown prince, like earlier, but it was one that she should keep locked away for now. While the wound had not yet healed and she could still feel blood flowing from it, she would wait for it to slowly scab, and would talk about it to someone once she was alright with showing the scar.

“Grandfather.”

During the time they had been talking, Vileena had completely regained her usual expression.

“Hmm?”

“What is the current situation in Mephius? What move has His Highness the crown prince made?”

“There haven’t been any noticeable movements yet,” the previous king of Garbera unhurriedly nodded his head, and gently pushed Vileena’s shoulders to make her lie down. “Since it hasn’t been two days since you collapsed.”

At around the time that Vileena woke up, the crown prince had not yet taken Nedain. It was, however, around the time when Allion had already started to move against Ende, and when messengers appealing for help had arrived in Mephius and Garbera.

“Allion is…?” Vileena’s large eyes opened wide. She had heard the rumour while she was in Birac. Which meant, of course, that Gil Mephius had also heard about it. “His Highness being as he is, I’m sure he will want to go to Ende immediately. What’s happening in Mephius right now?”

“Hmm,” at that moment, the smile that Jeorg had been wearing ever since seeing his granddaughter again vanished from his face.

Noticing it, Vileena asked –

“How does Garbera intend to move?”

Jeorg gave a small sigh.

“It won’t move yet. Or better said, it can’t move. Father and son are fighting in Mephius, but here in Garbera, the situation is not so very different. Blood-related brothers are antagonistic towards one another, and the situation isn’t progressing at all.”

Part 2

Upon receiving Ende’s request for help, the discussions within Garbera were heated.

Although the news that a strong country like Allion was stretching its hand towards ‘over here’ caused a fair amount of nervousness, there were some voices which doubted that it would develop into a large-scale war.

“For now, we need to confirm that Prince Kaseria is leading a first wave of troops.”

“Ende and Allion have long had a deep connection. Since Ende’s Prince Jeremie had the flag of the Magic Dynasty with him when he appealed to Allion for help, they couldn’t simply ignore him; but perhaps they will do no more than send troops for now?”

Besides which there were also arguments based on emotion.

“Prince Eric was the one chosen to the next Grand Duke of Ende.”

“Wasn’t Eric the one behind that recent violation of Garbera’s borders? Even though there still hasn’t been any clear apology from Ende, that man is trying to put pressure on the king; he’s showing nothing but contempt for the friends.h.i.+p between Garbera and Ende.”

The one who had squarely opposed all of them was Zenon Owell, the commander of the Knights of the Order of the Tiger. In other words, the second prince of Garbera and the very person who had crossed swords in person with Prince Eric when he had raided their borders.

“It’s crucial to crush Allion from the outset,” Zenon had declared. Which he had followed up by requesting to go to Ende at the head of a troop of reinforcements. “Since we met each other on the battlefield, there will be added significance if I go to lend our strength to His Highness, the next Grand Duke.”

As far as Zenon Owell was concerned, after the matter with Salamand, he wanted to quickly bring an end to any discussions that could further divide the country. He hoped to turn away the anti-Mephian feelings that were held by part of the Court, and give them a new target.

Therefore, he believed that, as a member of the royal family, he should take the initiative of setting an example.

He brought it up more than once in discussions with the king. During those times, he also offered the idea that the Order of the Badger should be part of the relief party. This was the Order in which Salamand, who had forced his way into Mephian territory in defiance of the king’s wishes, had served as vice-commander. It had naturally come under a lot of criticism recently. The commander of the knightly order had come forward to take responsibility by offering to put himself under arrest, with the intention of stepping down from his duties as commander in the near future, but Zenon had forcefully dragged him away from the meeting.

Other than Zenon, there was no one there who expressed any other clear intentions on the matter, so most of the discussions continued at the pace he set. Besides which, he was previously the one who had regarded Salamand’s movements as dangerous, who had brought them to the king’s attention, and it was to the prince’s credit alone that he had fought at Zaim Fortress to obstruct Salamand’s ambitions.

Zenon briskly drew up a schedule for everything from the troops’ formation to their departure. Within the country, the speed of his decision-making and his energy in taking action were widely praised.

However, his actions unexpectedly earned him bitter resentment from a certain person – none other than the first prince, Razetta Owell.

“To start with, what exactly is this achievement of a battle at Zaim Fortress that my younger brother is making so much of? If Salamand is a criminal guilty of having defied the king’s orders, then Zenon should be reprimanded for the same offence. My brother deceived the king and acted on his own judgement in using military force.”

In the end, he instilled his father, King Ainn Owell, with the idea that Zenon’s offence could not be overlooked.

“It’s not that I want to see my brother thrown in jail. If the king censures Zenon, as a retainer, for his arbitrary conduct but does not punish him, would it not mean a loss of authority before the other retainers? If someone other than the king seizes the power to initiate military action, it will invite unrest into the country. Even if it is only for form’s sake, should you not hand down some kind of punishment to Zenon?”

By nature, Razetta was not a man of outstanding resourcefulness, but neither did he have any particularly objectionable flaws. That’s why he is deserving of being king – said some rather cynical voices, but nonetheless, he was by nature extremely calm, and it was rare for him to take the initiative of appealing to the king about something.

Moreover, because Razetta had spread the matter around, the king could not afford to ignore it, and so summoned Zenon directly before him.

“The Order of the Tiger will stay in Mavant for a while,” he commanded.

Mavant was in the west of Garbera and contained a vast lake, which formed the border with Mephius now that Apta had been returned. Since it was where Zenon and his Order of the Tiger were usually stationed, this was essentially a case of sending back the soldiers who were now ma.s.sed in the royal capital, Phozon.

“Why, Your Majesty?”

“The situation in Mephius uncertain. It is more important than ever to ensure Mavant’s defence.” It had been the same during the incident with Salamand: King Ainn Owell loathed the idea of unrest within the country. If possible, he wanted to avoid having the confrontation between his sons, Zenon and Razetta, come out into the open.

Just back down from this – the king’s gaze pleaded with his son. It was true that having taken military action of his own accord left Zenon vulnerable on that point.

Then what do you intend to do about the reinforcements to Ende?”

“We will bide our time wisely,” was all that the king said.

However, as mentioned earlier, there was no one other than Zenon who was going to take the initiative of getting things moving on this matter. For the commander of the Order of the Badger, it was a certainly a precious chance to regain his honour, but it was easy to imagine that if he put himself forward without Zenon to s.h.i.+eld his back, the criticism against him would only grow stronger. He could only remain silent.

Zenon’s hands were tied. If he again took military action without permission, he would inevitably be vilified as “disloyal and quick to ignore the king’s commands”. Moreover, since the very thing that Zenon was trying to avoid was a situation in which the country was divided, he was afraid that pus.h.i.+ng things any further than this would defeat the purpose.

And so, this once, he had no choice but to dutifully comply with the king’s orders. Although the prince himself remained in Phozon, he was kept away from the Order of the Tiger and could not move a single soldier, so there was naturally little chance of reinforcements being sent to Ende.

That something like that… Vileena nodded attentively.

Her grandfather’s complexion did not look good. He looked as though he was dispa.s.sionately describing facts, but Vileena, who knew her grandfather well, could see the distress that occasionally flitted across his face.

Grandfather is worried as well.

Given Jeorg’s personality, it was easy to guess that he was irritated by his son, Ainn’s, weak att.i.tude. He was also concerned about the confrontation between his grandsons. However, taking the country’s future into consideration, and given that he had retired, he could not carelessly get involved, since that was one action that was sure to divide the country.

“Oh,” as though suddenly waking up from a dream, her grandfather smiled at Vileena. “I ended up talking for a long time. I’ll have them bring you your meal. Rest well tonight.”

Not wanting to cause him any extra worry, Vileena abandoned the idea of any further conversation.

She finished her meal and laid down again in bed. Now that she was being still, her head throbbed dully to the rhythm of her heartbeat. As well as the impact from falling from her horse, she had probably reopened the wound to her head that she had received near the Mephian border.

Again… Vileena suddenly thought as she touched the fresh bandage that was wound around her head. I’ll have made Theresia worry again, won’t I?

She had been injured when she had flown from Apta and headed alone to Taúlia. She had been scolded by Theresia afterwards. This time too. Going together to Solon was one thing, but when she learnt that the princess was going to lead a military troop to meet with Salamand, Theresia had nearly swooned.

“Princess… Well, Princess. Princess!”

Maybe it was because her head was too muddled up, but she had only been able to keep repeating the same thing.

“Theresia, even if you object by saying that I’ll be going alone, the emperor has lent me a hundred soldiers.”

When the princess had announced that with deliberate pride, Theresia’s face had gone even whiter. Soon, she would have been saying “I will go too”. For Vileena, persuading Theresia was far more difficult than bargaining with the emperor.

“It’s alright,” Vileena had a.s.sured her with a smile. “Salamand has raised me up as his great cause. Even in the worst case, he won’t be able to kill me.”

Theresia had probably been feeling that her lifespan kept been shortened again and again. Thinking that it was her fault, naturally Vileena’s heart ached; but, strangely enough, every time they met again, Theresia looked rejuvenated. Maybe it was a case of feeling better afterwards? Still lying down, Vileena smiled.

…

Her bedroom was surprisingly quiet at night. It was hard to believe that Zaim Fortress had once been the stage of so many fierce battles.

It was the profoundly memorable land where Princess Vileena herself had been led by Ryucown’s soldiers and had confronted Ryucown in person.

Just before that, she had vehemently disagreed with Crown Prince Gil. Although he had gone there at the head of the soldiers, for a long time, Gil had sat and done nothing. Even when the Garberan army and Ryucown’s forces were clas.h.i.+ng against one another, he did not send reinforcements and simply spent some time watching intently. Vileena had criticised him for that. She remembered it well.

The crown prince had been allowing a situation that was costing lives to continue. “If you just let that pa.s.s like this, those soldiers will die in vain. Aren’t you the one who hated wasting their lives for the sake of the nation and its n.o.bility?” When Vileena had cut into him however, his expression had clearly changed and he had been visibly shaken.

He, who always seemed to gaze at things with calm and detachment, had something about him that was boyishly fragile and childish – and surprisingly enough, that part of him was neither hidden nor far from the surface.

Gil Mephius.

She only had to lower her eyelids and there, on the other side of them, the figure of him, arms crossed and plunged in thought, appeared as though it were natural.

He was probably like that even now. Without revealing the inner part of his heart to anyone, he was definitely worrying about how to continue fighting Emperor Guhl from here on, or how to deal with Allion’s might appearing from the east, or about all sorts of other things.

What Grandfather is to me – the prince doesn’t have anyone like that.

The thought that had suddenly crossed her mind during her conversation with her grandfather had not left it since then.

Vileena opened her eyes several times and stared fixedly at the ceiling that she could just dimly make out.

Then, every time, she lowered her eyelids again.

Vileena Owell unexpectedly felt as though her heart was being tightly clenched. Why was it that when she closed her eyes, the figure of Crown Prince Gil, with his arms folded and his head bent in deep thought, now looked like a wretchedly lonely boy with nowhere to return to?

Unloved by his father, having lost his mother, and held in contempt by the retainers; the boy had risked his life, pushed forward with meticulous preparations, swept away the enemies before him, and had, little by little, increased his fame and influence. Yet wherever he went, he was still lonely.

That’s exactly like…

Like a gladiator, who spent every day killing today’s enemy as he had been ordered to, then sleeping in preparation for tomorrow’s fight, wreathed in the inerasable stench of blood and viscera.

The candle’s flame flickered above the wooden table. His head bowed, the angle of Gil’s figure had changed somewhat, although Gil himself had not stirred in the slightest, his back slightly hunched and still plunged in thought.

Can you find your answer?

Vileena unconsciously asked the illusionary Prince Gil.

Day after day, you’re racking your brains, thinking only about how to win the fight. It’s as though, if you lose – that one defeat will mean losing everything, and all that will be left afterwards is to prepare for death. What is it that you are looking for beyond that? You who doesn’t confide in anyone, who doesn’t share your heart’s secrets with anyone, who doesn’t walk in the warm sunlight with anyone, what kind of answer do you crave?

She wanted to yell at that hunched up back. She wanted to kick the impa.s.sive Crown Prince from behind. And at the same time –

She wanted to hug his back close.

She wanted to bury her cheeks into it, and twine her arms towards his waist and tell him –

It’s alright.

It’s alright to open your heart to me.

In this world, no matter who else was, she was not his enemy. She wanted to tell him that even if you are completely defeated and come back covered in blood, mud, and tears, you will definitely find arms to embrace you and a chest to hide your tears against – that person definitely exists.

Tears slid from beneath her closed eyelids.

Why?

Why was she realising so many things only after there was so much distance between them?

It was only after she could not call out to him directly, after she could not go to see him, that these overflowing feelings appeared, deep, and many, and suffocating.

At long last, Vileena fell asleep, unaware of her own tears.

Ten days pa.s.sed. Vileena’s health improved by the day and, by that time, she could get up normally and walk all around Zaim Fortress.

This was an area where, compared to Mephius, the climate remained relatively constant all year around, you could feel the changing of the four seasons, although it was not as marked as it was in the south – in the royal capital and at the detached palace. The season in which the winds blew fiercely had already pa.s.sed, and a hint of autumn was slowly drawing closer.

Vileena spent her time looking up at the sky high above and at the mountain scenery. While doing so, she tended to become engrossed in thoughts of the prince. Each time that happened, she made a point of shaking her troubles out of her head.

Not surprisingly, she was extremely self-conscious regarding what had happened with Salamand. She was aware that if she were to do something unreasonable again now, this time, she would not only be putting herself in danger but would also be causing considerable trouble to those around her.

Of course, she did not feel that she should always be like this, but, to borrow the prince’s words – now is the time to wait.

Then, when ten days had elapsed, the fortress become somewhat livelier. It had received information from Mephius which said that “Nedain has fallen to Crown Prince Gil’s troops.” Moreover, by attacking in waves and joining forces with the populace which had risen in revolt, they had achieved complete victory with practically no loss of military resources.

The soldiers serving at the fortress were astonished at the tactics used, but from Vileena’s point of view, she would have been embarra.s.sed if he had not done as much. Since that would have meant that her going especially to Solon, as well as pretending to be a warrior leading soldiers, would have been in vain. She couldn’t deny that she felt a bit proud at having thought up that farsighted action.

Strangely enough, even the Garberan soldiers congratulated her when they saw her. A single girl had risked her life for the sake of a country; they saw no contradiction between the fact that the country in question had once been their enemy, and their pride that the girl was a princess from their own land.

However, now that Nedain had been taken, Solon, the imperial capital, was right in front of the prince’s eyes, and there was a good chance that there would be even greater disturbances in Mephius’ future. Zaim, which was located at a key point near the national border, was enveloped in a greater sense of tension than usual.

Another two days later, an air carrier arrived from the direction of the royal capital. Contrary to what might have been expected, this did not herald the arrival of reinforcements sent to strengthen defence at the border, but was instead a single s.h.i.+p belonging to the Kotjun House. Riding on board was Rinoa Kotjun, the daughter of the current head of the family.

“Has the young lady of the Kotjun House come to sell some new kinds of weapons because it looks like war is near?” Some of the soldiers growled, but when Rinoa disembarked at the port, she immediately requested a meeting with the previous king.

Jeorg received the information while he was chatting after lunch with his granddaughter Vileena. “Oh, how unusual,” his mouth curved into a slightly exaggerated pout.

Jeorg’s connection to the Kotjun House ran deep. He was the one who had formally employed them – a family of miners and merchants – as Garberan retainers. Still, after Jeorg had abdicated from the throne, he and the Kotjun House had absolutely no contact apart from the messenger that they sent each year to present their congratulations on his birthday.

How very like the merchant-minded Kotjun House – actually, that had left Jeorg with a rather favourable impression. He believed that, even while they used their outstanding cunning and keen noses to make more and more money and to befuddle the courtiers, they were helping to make Garbera into a stronger country.

And now, there was a messenger from the Kotjun House. Or not, rather, as it appeared that Miss Rinoa had said: “I am not here on behalf of the Head of the House, but wish to be granted an interview simply as myself, Rinoa Kotjun. This is both sudden and ill-mannered of me, but I am happy to wait as long as necessary for His Majesty, Former King Jeorg’s, convenience.”

Rinoa. That young lady, was it? Jeorg smiled faintly. The year before last, she had been the messenger who had come to congratulate him on his birthday. At the time, she would have been about sixteen or seventeen, but the fox-eyed girl had already exuded a personality befitting of a daughter of the Kotjun House.

“Let’s see her,” Jeorg had her brought immediately to a reception room.

At the speed with which he dealt with it, Vileena, who was next to him, keenly felt that – that’s a lot like His Highness Gil.