Vol 11 Chapter 4 (2/2)

Why – he had wondered at the time. When s.h.i.+que, the comrade-in-arms with whom he had faced death so many times, had died, he had been able to repress his feelings in public. It had been close. If Pas.h.i.+r and Alnakk had been even a little slower in leaving the room, they might have caught sight of his boyish, unconcealed face.

That much? Had the Garberan princess’ existence become that important to him? To the point that he feared more than anything that her warmth would disappear far from him, just as s.h.i.+que and his family had done.

There had been that, of course. There had been that, but it was not something that could be summarised in so few words. Back then, Orba had not yet realised the true nature of the fiery feelings that drove him on.

Now, however. In Solon, which was far from Birac. In this moment, when he was kneeling before the emperor, on the verge of defeat…

I finally get it. He thought. And also – what a pathetic reason.

When he had heard that Vileena had risked her life to intercept the invading Salamand, that she handed over her medallion for Prince Gil even as her consciousness was fading. When fighting the emperor face-to-face and finding himself at a loss for words. All that Orba could think was –

If only I was the real Gil Mephius.

Part 3

Perhaps anyone would have thought so at this point. That he had faced a great many hards.h.i.+ps because he was a fake crown prince, and that it was because he had overcome them that he was who he was now. Up until now, he had fought constant battles, met a mult.i.tude of people, schemed, won, encountered setbacks, given shape to his intentions, and gone through all sorts of things; and yet, as though none of those mattered, here and now, what came to him was only that – the most meaningless, the most foolish, and the most worthless of words.

Yet Orba – swept away by the fiery torrent of his feelings and unable to do anything but weep – was unable to see things that way.

When Alnakk had handed him the medallion in Birac Fortress, he had felt as though he could hear Vileena’s voice – I am with you.

Although I have left Mephius for a while, I am definitely not running away from your fight and mine. So…

So please, go at it with all you’ve got.

Wasn’t it with that kind of meaning that Vileena had entrusted the medallion? It truly was becoming of the valiant princess.

Again and again, Orba had seen the princess before him like that and heard her voice, but the truth that I am not Gil Mephius was thrust at him anew.

That princess who had pushed on without looking back, and regardless of the danger to herself, would, of course, not suspect that this Prince Gil was an impostor. If she had suspected anything like that, she would surely never of risked her own life.

Generals Rogue and Odyne had chosen to fight even if it meant sacrificing their own families because they believed in Gil.

Likewise, the Mephian soldiers had taken the lives of their former friends and colleagues, had fought with swords grasped and guns held, because they believed in Gil.

Of course Orba was going to meet their expectations. He had to meet them. But… the loyalty they offered, the friends.h.i.+p, and perhaps even the care –

Orba could only reward that sincerity with lies.

Always.

For all eternity.

He would give his name as ‘Gil Mephius’.

He had known that. Yet, in this moment of impulse, he had been made to realise all that he had not understood.

Why was I born a village boy in the middle of nowhere? Why couldn’t I have been born the crown prince? If I had that birth and lineage, I wouldn’t be tormented by these feelings.

Although those feelings that could perhaps be called regret were genuine, at the same time –

There is definitely meaning to my being here, simply because I wasn’t born to royalty or the imperial family.

– Those feelings, which flared up within him were also true.

Right. That’s right.

When he once again became conscious of that worthless, pathetic thought, and while heat was coursing through his entire body.

I’d forgotten.

There were times when I thought exactly like the real Gil Mephius would.

And every time, it’s that princess who reminds me. That I’m not the real thing.

And that’s why. That’s why I’m here.

Although he was prepared for both defeat and death, there was no reason for him to so easily give up victory and his own life to his enemies.

Orba’s surroundings were light up by a blazing fire. The acrid smoke a.s.sailed his nostrils, the intense heat scorched his skin. As the houses on either side of him burned down and changed shape, a lone boy walked in the middle of them. Each of the tears that rolled down his cheeks dissolved in the heat.

If Rogue or Mephius’ soldiers, or some subordinate somewhere, discover my brand…

You’re an impostor!

How dare you deceive us!

You sent soldiers to their death for a lie, you influenced the course of our country with lies!

Even if they scream that at me – melted by the flames, the boy’s face crumbled away and soon, it had transformed into that of Gil Mephius. There were no tears anymore. As though in exchange for the fury, for the anger, the hatred, and the flames that blazed brightly around him –

I’ll laugh.

Orba – Gil Mephius’ expression was serene.

I’ll laugh as I insult them. You didn’t notice. You didn’t know. Even though an impostor was giving you orders, even though an impostor was trampling over your heads that you prostrated before him, didn’t you still call me the crown prince? Didn’t you tear the country apart on my orders? Then after it was over, didn’t you receive medals from my own hand? The imperial family, royalty, that’s all it’s worth. Anyone would do. As long as they shoulder the weight in your place, as long as they look to the future in your place, anyone will do.

So I’ll laugh.

I’ll laugh even if countless hands grab me and drag me to the guillotine. Even in the middle of all that, I’ll laugh.

I won’t have any regrets. Who knows if after my death I’ll be remembered in infamy as the false crown prince. But – But until then…

Until the moment when a blade slices through my neck or a bullet pierces my heart…

I’ll resist.

I’ll fight.

I’ll give my all to survive.

“Enough.”

As though bored of it all, Guhl Mephius gave a clap of his hands.

“If your tongue can no longer come up with an excuse, you’d do best to vanish from my sight at once.” He looked around at the crowd of people in the hall. “Even though I had you gather here expressly, it turned into a farce. I had intended to offer you all souvenirs but, well, there have not been so many a.s.sembled here since the Founding Festival. The public finances can’t cover it. What a headache,” he joked.

Sitting beside him, Empress Melissa bit back a yawn. Ever since she had been informed that the crown prince had been summoned to Solon, she had seemed to consider that the matter was already settled. The exchange between the emperor and crown prince was, so to speak, no more than a scripted play that she had grown bored of, and she had been wondering for a while now when this tiresome show would be over.

“Your Majesty.”

– A voice was heard.

Gil Mephius.

His head was still lowered, his back was still shaking.

“What?” the emperor asked, sounding fed up. “Have you brought yourself to comply with my order?”

“No.”

At Gil’s reply, even the retainers showed irritation and boredom in their expressions. Nothing would change, there would be no development. So why was this prince opening his mouth?

“I will not comply with it.”

“Why?” Guhl, who had at some point sat back down on the throne, curled his lips into a sneer. “Is it because you don’t carry the proof on your body? That, in turn, is the best possible proof that you are an impostor.”

“Pathetic.” Orba said once again. “Truly a pathetic story. Do you intend to strip me naked and shame me before all of the retainers?”

The emperor harrumphed and shrugged. “This talk is tedious. I believe I told you not to play with words.”

“No, this is no wordplay,” so saying… Orba stood up.

He stretched out his knees which had been on the floor, lifted his bowed head straight, threw out his chest and faced Guhl.

Gil seemed to have shaken off the heavy black pall that hung from his shoulders and back, leaving it to roll at his feet, and the people there held their breath, unable to turn their eyes away from him; or better said, unable to turn away from the sight of the emperor and crown prince their gazes almost at equal height, facing off against one another.

Faster than Guhl could speak –

“In terms of words, I have said all I have to say. Why I was so late coming here, why I fought Mephian soldiers, as well as my determination. Since with that, I cannot gain Your Majesty’s acceptance, then that means that from the start, Your Majesty had no use for my existence.”

As...o...b.. spoke, how did the people now see the single trail of tears that ran down his cheek? Orba himself, driven by fervent fire, could probably not tell whether the tears that fell were real or fake.

“While that may be true, even if you unjustly spurn me, I will not be trampled underfoot and defeated. Doing so would be betraying those who believe in me.”

“What?”

“Rogue Saian, Odyne Lorgo, Folker Baran, Yuriah Mattah. All of them are retainers that you, Your Majesty, raised. All of them are retainers who fought for you, Your Majesty, and consecrated their lives to you. Then why did they follow me and risk their lives fighting for me? Can you not believe in them, either? Do you doubt even the loyal hearts that they gave to their country and to you, Your Majesty? Seeing that att.i.tude from you, how can the other retainers gathered here continue to believe in you, Your Majesty? Can you continue to guide this country?”

While he talked, Orba’s eyes dried and his eyebrows once again slanted as sharply as swords.

“By putting me to shame, you also shame their lives, their names, and their families. That is not something that I can allow. If such is your intention, I will return that shame to you, Guhl, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d, by not ‘complying with your orders’.”

“Shame me, you say?” Guhl’s beard shook imperceptibly.

This time, it was...o...b.. who sneered.

“You can’t have forgotten, Father. I have Birac behind me. I have Nedain and Apta. And in them, I have the capable generals Rogue, Odyne, Folker and Yuriah, as well as a great many soldiers. I could have chosen the path of war. I could have turned Solon into a sea of flames and driven a blood-smeared sword through Your Majesty’s throat. The question of real or fake is meaningless on the battlefield. If the real Emperor were defeated by the impostor Crown Prince, in that very moment, the lie would become the truth, and the old truth would be cast away in history as a lie.”

The entire Court was left speechless as he spoke those terrible words with a smile. They felt as though they could see Gil Mephius’ face, stained red with the blood of his opponents. Was he not licking his lips because at any moment now, he would lick off that still steaming blood?

Right, the Gil Mephius who was here – the Gil Mephius whose gaze was at a height that matched the emperor’s – had without any doubt come through countless difficult battles, had bathed in the blood of his fellow countrymen, and now, to defend his own justice, he had clearly come to contend on this battlefield, not for the blood of his brethren, but for that of his own father.

“This late in the game you resort to threats?”

“Oh my, are you angry, Father? Then you should issue your commands. Retainers loyal to His Majesty, capture that fool and drag him to the dungeons – something like that.”

“What did you say?”

“But what if, at that time, I, Gil Mephius, gave an order?”

Orba spread his hands out towards the retainers who were arrayed on either side of him. They staggered and shrank back, exactly as though drops of fresh blood were raining incessantly from his fingertips.

“Don’t move,” wiping away his smile, Orba sent looks as sharp as the tip of a blade to the right and left of him. “If you move, you’ll be disobeying the orders of the next emperor of Mephius, and he’ll send you to the arena.”

Mephius’ va.s.sals hurriedly straightened their posture and stood to attention. The smile returned to Orba’s lips.

“…Like so.”

“You b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”

Orba took a step forward.

Transparent ripples seemed to spread out from the tip of his foot trod. Those who were touched by those ripples did not move, could not speak, and could only gaze fixedly at the young man who was approaching the throne.

Guhl’s expression was finally torn apart with fury. His eyes, deeply carved wrinkles on either side, were riveted on Orba who came closer a second, then a third, step.

“This is no more than the desperation of a fool who cannot prove that he is the crown prince.”

“Are you afraid, Your Majesty?”

“What?”

“You should give your orders quickly. Capture the impostor, drag away the fool, kill the rebel. Why can you not do so? Right, Father, are you afraid? Because if n.o.body moves despite the order from their ruler, you would only be proving to all the dignitaries here that you no longer have the attributes of the emperor of Mephius. Then, Father, how would it feel to be defeated at your own hands? If n.o.body stops me, if n.o.body listens to Your Majesty’s words.”

Orba pressed forward by another step.

Ineli Mephius watched him, her gaze gleaming with perhaps even more fire than the emperor’s. Beside her, Empress Melissa had lost her composure and her eyes were darting about in confusion.

“Y-Your Majesty…”

Just as she unconsciously uttered those words, Gil Mephius arrived right in front of the steep steps to the throne.

People watched, holding their breath. Hoping that it might provide some kind of answer. It felt as though within the calm, caused by the weariness and fear that had swirled around the Court in exchange for a stable reign, a new wind was blowing, bringing with it who knew who and who knew what.

Then, Guhl Mephius once more stood up from the throne. The staff he held in one hand clattered as it fell onto the marble and, in exchange for it, Guhl’s hand went to his breast pocket. When he pulled it out immediately afterwards, he held a gleaming black gun.

“Your Majesty!”

That appeal was not made by Melissa, but by several of the retainers, their voices overlapping. Holding the gun in both hand, Guhl had it aimed squarely at Orba’s head. For a moment, Orba halted his steps.

“Fools, d.a.m.n fools!” Guhl roared, opening wide the mouth that was buried beneath his beard. “I know your schemes perfectly well. You’ll continue to be silent with those mouths that swore loyalty to me, and you won’t run those swords that you dedicated to me through this rebel’s back. In that case, I’ll settle things myself. I’ll use my own hands to defile this audience hall with blood. But! Know it well. What kind of fate do you think will befall you loyalb.a.s.t.a.r.ds?”

The Court suddenly erupted into noise. Screams, roars, and strangely childish wails filled the hall.

And amidst it all – The final gamble, thought Orba. In that moment, he joined Guhl in sharing his sentiments.

There was one other…

Amidst it all, there was one other who decided to seize the situation to greatly affect their future. That person leapt from their seat, tumbled down the stairs, and arrived right before Orba.

Princess Ineli Mephius.

Ah – while people gasped, Ineli’s slender body clung to Gil Mephius’ chest.

Flinging herself between the emperor and the crown prince, in the empty s.p.a.ce between where their swords seemed about to collide, as though she were Gil’s s.h.i.+eld, Ineli turned only her head around and shouted in a tremulous voice –

“Your Majesty. Your Majesty, please stop. For a father to kill his own child… Ineli can’t bear it. Please, please stop!”

“Move from there, Ineli,” the emperor roared his order from above her.

“Move, Ineli,” the crown prince shouted the same thing.

Ineli however shook her head like a child throwing a tantrum, and clung to Gil more tightly than ever.

“How could Ineli not recognise Brother? How could Ineli just watch while you two fight like this? The two of you both worry about Mephius, about its retainers, its people, and its future, and that’s why you are colliding like this. Enough, enough. You can’t need to spill each other’s blood and take each other’s life!”

“Move, Ineli,” the emperor shouted again. The muzzle of his gun was still aimed true. “That is not the crown prince. That’s an usurper aiming for the throne. If you’re going to defend that kind of man, then…”

“Please, enough!” Ineli interrupted the emperor with a high-pitched shriek. “This person is the real Crown prince Gil Mephius. Ineli will prove it. Even if you reject my words and doubt my intentions, it’s all right. Please, please shoot me instead!”

For Ineli Mephius, this was a once-in-a-lifetime struggle. Up until then, she had been fixedly observing as the heated exchange between Guhl and Gil shook the Court and tilted it in favour of one or the other. When Gil attacked, the retainers’ expressions showed them wavering in favour of supporting this new hero; when Guhl shot him down through sheer overwhelming coercion, their expressions seemed to indicate that, after all, they had no choice but to dedicate their loyalty to the emperor.

And then, the moment when Gil once more gained the upper hand and struck down Guhl’s might.

Finally, when Guhl Mephius had proffered his threats. The emperor had previously thrown retainers who tried to advise him to the dragons and had been intending to execute the families of the veteran generals who had joined the crown prince. This had cast a black shadow in the hearts of the retainers who had served Mephius for so long.

For that reason, they were frightened. If I do not obey the emperor, perhaps tomorrow I will become a dragon’s meal.

And so, they were lost and hesitant. Should they continue to obey an emperor whose every word seemed to plunge Mephius’ future into darkness, their backs half-turned away from the fight with the crown prince?

But then, Ineli took action. Their hearts, which had been split between two equal parts, only needed the resolute actions of one person to guide them towards one side or the other. And with it being not a hardened warrior who had many times overcome death, but a young girl whose pure soul lay concealed behind her snow-white cheeks, the effect was all the greater.

Guhl Mephius’ face was twisted with hatred. Yet the aim of his muzzle did not waver.

“Your Majesty!” A voice reverberated – Indolph York.

He was a man who played a part in the anti-Emperor faction along with Fedom Aulin. He too had finally come to a decision. His voice quivering, he continued –

“I-I, Indolph York, beg of you. This person is clearly the true Crown Prince. Please lower your gun.”

Ineli’s actions and his words turned into the impetus for others.

“Your Majesty”

“Your Majesty!”

“Please, we beg of you.”

“To attack even Her Highness the princess, it would be much too... too cruel.”

The retainers all started shouting together.

The ‘wind’ now started gathering in one direction only, the ‘waves’ and their swells were pulsing with intense energy.

More creases appeared as Emperor Guhl Mephius brought his brows together.

And as he did so, he pulled the trigger.

“Hiiii!”

Screams surged all around. Orba forcibly peeled Ineli from off of him. As he raced up the staircase, he heard the sound of the trigger being pulled again.

There had been no gunshot either time. Only the sound of the gun chamber revolving.

The third time was the same.

Realising this, Orba stopped halfway up the stairs and the voices of the retainers gradually faded. Guhl was about to pull the trigger one more time –

Or so it seemed, but he languidly let his hand drop. The gun, now near his waist, shook.

“I see,” muttered the emperor of Mephius. He snorted suddenly, his white moustache swaying, then he bent backwards and burst into loud laughter.

As though they were held spellbound, or as if they had just woken up after that mayhem, not Orba, not Ineli – who had been thrown to the ground, Melissa, or the retainers could move.

Having laughed his full, Guhl sat back down on the throne with a thump.

“It was splendid, the way you were ready to stake your own life,” those unexpected words reached Orba’s ears.

What was Guhl – the man who had governed the country for so long – thinking in that moment? At that time, Orba did not know. He had no way of knowing.

However, his forehead free of perspiration, his breathing even, his voice so calm that his and Orba’s ferocious clas.h.i.+ng of words seemed like a lie, Guhl said, “Very well.” He then continued –

“You are clearly my child and Mephius’ crown prince, Gil. You, and also Ineli and the retainers, have given proof of that… Let’s say that I accept your request. You can organise troops immediately and head to Ende in reinforcement. I will also allow Rogue, Odyne, Folker, Yuriah and their forces to pa.s.s through Solon.”

So declared the emperor.

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