Vol 11 Chapter 5 (2/2)

“Fine, I get it… Well then, same as usual.”

The red light was also reflected in Dinn’s eyes as he saw Orba off, but Orba did not say anything in particular. The ‘same as usual’, he had him help him into his armour then left the room.

His subordinates and his soldiers were already fully a.s.sembled at the port. Among them were Pas.h.i.+r, Gilliam, Kain, Miguel and all the other former gladiators.

“We’re leaving.” With Gil Mephius’ expression, Orba gave his orders. “Don’t have any regrets for your homeland. That will only dull your strength when you grasp your sword. Discard all but twenty percent of them. Then take strength from thinking that you will live and return.”

“Aye, aye.”

Commanders and soldiers alike bowed their heads, and struck the ground with the handle of their spears, raising their guns high to the crimson skies.

Gil Mephius’ troops were able to take to the skies before the sun had finished setting.

Part 2

“Your Majesty.”

Someone spoke.

Guhl Mephius had been sitting on his bed for quite a while now. He had not even finished changing.

He had cancelled that morning’s court. Since Guhl would usually even invite to breakfast those who wished for an audience, this lead concern that he might not be feeling well, and a number of people came to visit him, but Guhl had the chamberlains send most of them away.

Only Empress Melissa had been allowed into his room, but Guhl could not remember what they had talked about. At the end, for some reason or another, she seemed to have given a shrill shriek.

How much time had pa.s.sed since then?

“Your Majesty.”

The voice called again.

Was there still someone here? He wearily looked up.

“Oh,” the old emperor moaned. “I see. You’re still here.”

“It’s a lovely day, Guhl.”

Looking as though it was completely normal for them to be in the emperor’s private chambers without his permission, that person went towards the room’s closed curtains.

“Why are you shutting yourself away in the dark like this? You would do better to draw open the curtains and look at the gardens. The sky is blue and the wind is fresh and clear. The people of Solon are enjoying a peaceful morning again after so long. Young men and women are strolling along the avenues as the elderly are sitting and chatting while watching them go by.”

“…”

“You should go and see them, listen to their voices. That is what the world is, Guhl. For the likes of us, the world is only what we can see. Especially for old men who have reached an age where all that’s left is to leave things to the younger generation.”

“I’m going senile,” Guhl let out another moan. “If I were an ordinary person, then that would be that. I could just grow old and senile, then die. But I am the emperor. I carry the weight of the country on my shoulders. My world is not mine alone.”

“You are a pitiful old man.” Far from impressed, the other gave his opinion of Guhl. “And you should accept that age has caught up with you. I will reach a hand to what no hand can reach, and I will force you to see that which you cannot see. But you know, Guhl… Borrowing a power which humans should not touch in order to accomplish your goals… naturally, it makes you a failure as a human.”

A glare was thrown towards the emperor.

“You were undeniably strong. When your mother was killed before your eyes by a dragon, you were convinced that it was your father’s fault, and so you decided to become a ruler stronger than any other. You were going to create a country of peace, while seeing everything that happened within it, listening to every voice, and instantly crus.h.i.+ng every sign of danger.”

“…”

“And we supported you with all our might. Especially Lady Lana, your empress, who empathised with your way of doing things, unfettered by old ways and traditions. When trouble seemed to be brewing among the retainers’ factions, she was always the first to play the part of mediator. Sometimes acting as your s.h.i.+eld, sometimes as the arrow that admonished you, she gave you more help than any of we retainers. But…”

“Enough.”

“But Lady Lana pa.s.sed away too soon, much too soon. Immediately after bearing the long-awaited child, as though that had drained all the life from her. Ultimately, you and Empress Lana were husband and wife for almost no time at all.”

“Enough.”

On top of the bed, Guhl was grinding his teeth. But the voice did not stop.

“You were afraid. You, who was supposed to be strong, were afraid of how weak you were becoming when faced with the death of a loved one. It was the same as when your mother died. You had to find a reason for your grief. You had to make it someone’s fault. Before, you had been able to blame your father. But this time, it was different. It was n.o.body’s fault. And so, you could only invent blame. It was Lana’s fault. It was the fault of her own inherent weakness.”

Far from gradually swelling with the strength and fury of a storm, the voice continued its recital with the constant rhythm of the pitter-patter of a gentle rain.

“You loathe weakness. As a result of craving strength, you could not forgive any form of weakness. Neither in yourself, nor in others. And so, you came to hate Empress Lana, who had died before you, as though abandoning you; and neither could you forgive her son, Gil, who was gradually becoming more and more like her. Because of that, when it came to him, you…”

“That's enough!”

Emperor Guhl Mephius finally screamed out loud, then turned to bury his head in the bed.

The window was shut tight, and the heavy curtains were not swaying in any breeze.

“Your Majesty” – A different voice called out from outside the door.

Guhl lifted his head. There was no in the room except Mephius’ emperor. Guhl however was not particularly surprised. He knew it perfectly well, whose voice had been speaking up until then.

A hesitant murmur called out to him again. The soldier who was acting as the emperor’s guard informed him that he had another visitor. Guhl raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t I say that no one was to be allowed in?” – he was about to bellow in a thunderous voice, but suddenly, his shoulders fell wearily and he allowed the guest to enter.

“What is the meaning of your behaviour?” The one who appeared was a messenger from the Dragon G.o.ds’ faith; the same old man as the one who had visited this exact room just before the confrontation with the crown prince. “You should have revealed the impostor’s real ident.i.ty and had him immediately executed, just as we had agreed. Your grief would have been extinguished and things could have proceeded according to plan.”

“My grief would have been extinguished?” Guhl responded vacantly before sneering. “I’ve thought before that you were inhuman monsters, but that feeling had never been as strong as it is now. You don’t understand anything. Which isn’t surprising, given that you look at people like p.a.w.ns on a board. Did you seriously think that everything would go back to the way it was before if I forced through the impostor’s execution then? Hah, before meddling with human fates, you should have learned more about the human world.”

“…”

“Get out. Retire to your shadows and go and plot some evil scheme or another. I’m a little tired. If you want an in-depth discussion, come back some other time. Keep yourselves busy and go play in an empty lot.”

The messenger from the Dragon G.o.ds’ faith left without any parting words.

Only a little while later, that same old man was prostrating himself before a bed in a place that was, indeed, wrapped in shadows.

There laid an old man. Of the elders of the Dragon G.o.ds’ faith, he was the leader and so all the more of an ‘elder’. Even though, among that collection of elderly men, he was comparatively young. was the leader and so all the more of an ‘elder’. Nevertheless, in these past few days, in which he had appeared neither before the emperor not anyone else, he seemed to have aged ten, twenty years.

“d.a.m.n you, Guhl, that…”

The muttering voice held no vigour and was occasionally racked by violent coughing.

“Did you get cold feet? Pathetic, he’s just like all the other humans in this world. No matter how much ambition they have in their youth, as they grow older, the limits of what they can see – familiar scenery, family – becomes their own little kingdom with which they are content. And in their final moments, they look back on an existence in which they have not accomplished a tenth of the ambitions of their youth and die thinking that theirs was a surprisingly good life.”

His surroundings were silent and still.

There was only the single, kneeling elder carefully listening to him. The ceiling of the temple was high, and the shadows so thick that you could not see through them, no matter how you strained your eyes.

“You think that there is just one more step, but that step is unexpectedly far.” The elder whispered, his eyes darker than the shadows. “If you think about it, both Magic King Zodias and Garda, the high priest of Zer Tauran in the west, were like that. Both of them laid their plans, both of them approached their goals one step at a time, yet neither were able to accomplish them. However… they moved forward every time. What, at that time, felt like the final step had to be repeated over and over again until, now, it seems more like a hundred steps.”

Coughing and breathing raggedly, as though he held a storm in his throat, the elder continued to expound even though there was no one to hear.

“Zodias discovered how to extract ether from humans, Garda rallied the nomads, they who preached the revival of the Dragon G.o.ds, and took back the ‘Dragon G.o.d’s Claws’. While a.n.a.lysing the laws of sorcery and creating new ones, he distributed ‘pa.s.sageways’ throughout the world and constructed ether supply routes. The cost in time and lives was absurdly high. From being born as a baby to being resigned to greet death in old age… how often was that amount of time repeated? Even though it was finally about to take shape here in Mephius…”

How did it all start?

The elder’s voice continued to speak of lonely recollections, occasionally fading so low that no one could possibly hear it.

“Ah yes, it’s been ever since the failed a.s.sa.s.sination attempt against the crown prince and the princess, in Seirin Valley. That should have brought Guhl to sever all lingering ties of affection with this mortal world, Garbera and Ende should have been dragged into the fray, and the power balance at the centre of the continent should have been overturned.”

There was also that time, in the west. By setting up that man called Reizus as the new Garda and using the artefacts that were the shrines that I myself had left behind, we should have been able to open a ‘pa.s.sageway’ to Mephius while watching how Barbaroi responded.

“But he was defeated much faster than expected. Not, however, to the point that we needed to rea.s.sess the diagram of fate. That too was brought about because the gears of fate were temporarily thrown out of order. Back then, we left things as they were since we had to concentrate on making the next preparations towards our pre-determined goal. But upon carefully examining what happened, what seems to have emerged is the dazzling radiance of the fate of the one responsible for the malfunctioning gears.”

The dark-skinned elder was once again racked by a violent coughing fit. For a while, his emaciated limbs convulsed and his breaths seemed to be wrung from him, as though the life was draining from his entire body.

“We cannot wait any longer. For now, I am willing to abandon half of the diagram of fate, but we must get rid of that element of disturbance. Zafar. Is Zafar here?!”

“I am here.”

His answer was heard.

Yet he was not there.

No, it was rather that the one who spoke was the old man kneeling before the bed. However, he was not the man who had called himself “Zafar” in the west. Nevertheless, even while his body quivered and his starting eyes twitched, he spoke in Zafar’s voice.

“This time, be sure to end the Crown Prince’s life. The place will be the battlefield. There will be nothing strange about something happening there so the compensation for using sorcery to interfere with the diagram of fate will be somewhat reduced. I will let Tahī accompany you, so be sure to accomplish your mission at all cost.”

“Aye.” Although Zafar answered thus, after a moment, he asked, “What should we do about that Barbaroi matter?” That was all that was said, yet even so, the voice was hoa.r.s.e and the flesh at his neck shook uncontrollably. “I am lead to suppose that he is under Barbaroi’s protection.”

“At this point, it won’t do to be overly concerned with Barbaroi, or to let them meddle...” For a while, the elder seemed unable to marshal his thoughts, but finally –

“I will allow twelve deaths.” His words were strange and repulsive. “That much is still within the range of what can be repaired. Good, use the power brought about by those deaths to kill Gil without fail. I am repeating myself, but we cannot wait any longer. I’m sure you’re clear on what your fate will be if you fail.”

“Aye, aye.”

Immediately after Zafar’s voice answered, the elderly man who had been kneeling collapsed forward with a thud. As he painfully started to rise, blood dripped from his nose, mouth and eyes.

“After which, it will be Guhl.” The elder, who was no longer looking towards him, curved his dry and cracked lips. “I intended to guide him with the utmost care and caution, but there too the gear has malfunctioned. Is he no longer of any use? Then in that case…”

The elder lifted a trembling hand from on top of the bed. He stared intently at that bony, almost fleshless hand, that was as dry as old wood.

“I was wanting my next body anyway. Since it’s like that, once I become Guhl, I will have to plan the reconstruction of the diagram of fate, even if it means using slightly forceful methods. Barbaroi might also launch an attack but… It’s fine. When that happens, I’ll burn down Solon, or no, all the people of Mephius, and gather the power needed to push them back for now.”

Part 3

Flora Mephius had turned eleven years old during that year’s Founding Festival.

She was Empress Melissa’s daughter and Princess Ineli’s younger sister, but even without comparing her to her eye-catchingly gorgeous mother and sister, she was shy by nature and so her full-scale social debut had been delayed. Even so, when the emperor made a public appearance, she could more and more often be seen amongst those accompanying him, and the general feeling had been that she would probably gradually start taking a leading role in b.a.l.l.s and tea parties. This too was delayed, however, because of the trouble and turmoil centred around Solon.

And now again.

The figures of the adults that she had met and exchanged words with at court were growing as blurry as a black wind, and were melting away on all sides, leaving Flora all alone.

The court at Solon was in confusion.

Directly after the crown prince returned and had his audience with the emperor, the feeling had been that the civil war which had divided the country would not be dragged out any further; yet now that same crown prince was about to leave, leading soldiers to go in reinforcement to Ende, everyone seemed to have been seized with anxiety. Instead of staying in the imperial capital, horses and air carriers started being launched to every part of Mephius.

Some headed to Nedain, where Folker Baran was stationed, saying that “Guarding the fortress will be vital. When something needs to be done, I can always be counted on,” and, although they had not been asked to do so, they carried money there, explaining that “This is for the immediate war fund.”

Others went to Birac and requested a personal meeting with its lord, Fedom Aulin. “Ever since the day I received your letter, I have been carrying it preciously at my breast. I share the same concern for the country as you. Actually, during the audience, I also raised my voice in support of His Highness the crown prince…” they said, all the while a.s.suming the appearance of long-time, like-minded comrades.

Speaking of Birac, Rogue Saian found himself in a similar situation, as did Odyne, who was waiting on standby in Solon with the reservists. Suddenly, n.o.bles, men of wealth, and powerful merchants that they had never even spoken to before were lining up and approaching them, all with the air of being old friends.

All of these actions were, of course, because of ‘Crown Prince Gil Mephius’, whose presence had grown so large. Almost as though in inverse proportion to this, and partly because he had not shown himself in public these past few days, Emperor Guhl Mephius’ existence seemed little by little be wearing thin. To the point that now –

“The way His Majesty acted back then was truly without compa.s.sion.”

“Then what about that other time? There was no way that he was ever going to admit his own mistake.”

– There were those who were dredging things up from the past and were openly criticising him. Nonetheless, even those people knew the emperor’s influence had not yet been erased; and when then saw Colyne Isphan, considered to be of the emperor’s faction, coming from the opposite end of a hallway, or when Empress Melissa, her ladies’ maids in tow, appeared, their faces would go pale and they would send them a tentative bow.

In short, it was a fight between factions.

Gil and Guhl – although there was no longer the risk of a war in which both would lead soldiers and confront each other directly from behind cannons, strategies were now starting to unfold through words and actions, set on the stage of the wide halls of the palace, the locked rooms within aristocratic mansions, and the exclusive side-alley brothels hidden from public view. This was a clash between both camps, or perhaps it would be better to say, between the respective followers of the emperor and of the crown prince.

Their minds were constantly whirling.

How much longer is His Majesty’s reign likely to last?

Is His Highness Gil really able to take the throne? And if he does take it, when will that be?

No, there might be another dispute between the two of them because of that very reason.

Or in other words –

At this point, which camp is it in my best interests to get close to?

And so, even as they exchanged greetings with calm expressions, they would narrowly observe and try to read the other’s intentions, all while surveying their surroundings, their nerves on edge, as they tried to obtain even the smallest piece of additional information.

In that sense, it was a lot like the silent struggle that had recently enveloped Ende. There too, opinions had been divided as to which of the two princes, Jeremie or Eric, would succeed to the throne, and so the n.o.bles and military commanders had engaged in scheming every bit as dangerous as a sword fight. Ultimately, no matter which country or power it was, similar circ.u.mstances would always give rise to a similar situation.

Flora Mephius was a girl who looked even younger than her age. However, she was by no means stupid. She could sense the dangerous atmosphere that was flowing through the palace, and her sensitive heart shuddered in fear.

The strife between the men was not the only reason for that. These past few days, another name had gained the same presence as that of Crown Prince Gil Mephius – or no, within Solon’s court, it was perhaps even greater.

Flora’s older sister – Ineli Mephius.

At present, she had taken control of a section of the court. Even before the face-to-face meeting between the emperor and the crown prince, Ineli had surrept.i.tiously been increasing her a.s.sociation with influential aristocrats, and had seemed to be manoeuvring them into joining the prince’s faction. Then, at the audience which was still being talked about in Solon, she had taken visible action. She had protected the crown prince to the end, even to the point of s.h.i.+elding him with her own body.

In doing so, she appeared as a brave and gallant figure who, with a fierce will and the infinite compa.s.sion of a holy Mother, had protected the country’s future; so that even amongst the people, it had given rise to the feeling that she too was a hero.

Consequently, even those influential people who had already been part of the anti-Emperor faction for some time felt that, if they wanted to get closer to the crown prince, they could not afford to ignore Ineli’s existence. All day long, she was surrounded by crowds of people – be they those who wanted to meet the prince in person, those who came to offer gifts, or those who loudly claimed that they had always had a high opinion of the crown prince.

In a sense, Ineli was the living symbol of the crown prince’s faction.

As already mentioned, a large number of people had gone to visit the lord of Birac, Fedom Aulin, but even this ambitious gentleman could not deny that something felt lacking. Hmm, there seem to be fewer people coming to see me than I’d expected… he puzzled over it, tilting his thick neck. That was probably because, for many of those who wished to approach the crown prince, Ineli had already come to be seen as the best point of contact with him.

However, even though Fedom, lord of Birac, should have been hurrying to Solon as soon as he could, he optimistically believed that: “By deliberately keeping a distance from Solon and being seen to be taking care of Birac in the crown prince’s absence, my influence will actually grow.”

According to his judgement, clearly letting others see the long line of people who had travelled from afar all the way to Birac to see him would only serve to increase his presence and prestige. However, although on the one hand he was not wrong, Fedom had overlooked Ineli.

Nor was he the only one.

The empress, Ineli’s own mother, Melissa Mephius, must have been feeling as though she had been ambushed from a completely unforeseen direction.

Sensitive as she was, Flora Mephius could sense the way that sparks were flying fiercely between mother and daughter just below the surface.

One time, when Flora was unable to bear the cutting atmosphere of her surroundings, she went to visit her mother’s chambers in the palace’s Inner Quarters. Although she had notified her mother beforehand, the empress was already surrounded by a crowd of people talking to her, and Flora was driven into a corner of the room.

Properly speaking, it was a rule within the Inner Quarters that, no matter how low or how high their status was, no more than three men could be in a single room at the same time. Recently though, that rule had started to be ignored, and any number of men could be found together like this. Just from that, Flora felt as though she had lost her place to be.

Colyne was among those present. These people were what was known as the Emperor’s faction. Flora gazed in horror at those many figures crowding around her mother. Her mother – her beautiful, wise mother who was loved by all and whom the girlishly innocent Flora could not help but adore – seemed to have suddenly lost weight recently.

Perhaps because the skin of her face was stretched taut, her eyes seemed oddly bulging, the lines around her mouth stood out, and she did not look at all like a woman close to giving birth.

Flora held her pet cat, with its soft snow-white fur, close to her chest. It was a cat from the Schypa breed, which had been sent as a gift from a neighbouring country on the occasion of the Founding Festival. She had named it Nelwin, because it was mischievous and she often had to chase after it, as it tended to dash away whenever she took her eyes off of it. Perhaps because the Schypa, just like Flora, could sense that the atmosphere was different from usual, its eyes were darting around and it did not move from its mistress’ arms.

It was then that a particularly high-pitched voice was heard coming from her mother.

“Ineli… what is that child doing!”

Flora raised her head in surprise.

The men seemed to be explaining something in whispers. Empress Melissa slammed her fist against the long table.

“That child is just using what displeases me to defy me. With this issue as well, she’s planning on making fools out of the adults. A little girl who understands nothing. This, I would rather…”

“Empress,” as she was about to say more, one of the retainers, having no doubt realised that Flora was there, lowered his voice and glanced towards the girl who was hugging her cat.

Melissa seemed to notice her daughter for the first time. When her eyes met Flora’s, her expression turned even more terrifying.

“Haven’t I told you not to let that cat wander around in the Inner Palace!” She shrieked.

Flora gave a start then stood petrified. Nelwin gave a meow then leapt from her arms. After once or twice looking inquiringly at Flora, it rushed out from the room.

Even so, the girl still did not move. As though she had come back to her usual self, Melissa’s lips curved into a smile. Her gestures were exactly the same as those that Flora’s sister, Ineli, had been once before.

She walked towards her with that forced smile and stroked the dark brown hair that Flora had inherited from her father.

“I’m sorry for raising my voice. Even though I’m always teaching you how to behave as a lady.”

It’s alright – Flora could not say it. She could only watch, her eyes opened wide, as her mother’s smile came closer. She could no longer feel Nelwin’s warmth in her arms. Right then, Flora felt alone in the world.

“There is nothing to worry about, Flora. Listen to what Mother says and become a daughter after His Majesty’s own heart. As the older sister to the next emperor, who will soon be born, you have to hold your head up.”

Then, as if to say that she had finished all the business they had together, the empress gave her daughter’s shoulder a light push that seemed to be urging her to leave.

Flora quietly obeyed. There was nothing else she could do.

As she was leaving the room, a man crossed by her as he was entering.

“I, Zaas Sidious, have come at the empress invitation.”

The young warrior certainly spoke courteously, but when they pa.s.sed by each other, she felt his energy emanating from his shoulders like heat. He entered the room without appearing to notice Flora’s presence.

All by herself, the princess left.

Zaas Sidious was the general who, along with Folker and Yuriah, had led the army tasked with suppressing the Impostor crown prince. Just before they had left, they had been invited to a banquet hosted by the imperial family. After their defeat, while the other two had joined the crown prince’s side, only Zaas had brought his men back to Solon.

The emperor neither punished nor thanked him. Do not show your face before me seemed to be the implicit order, and the young Zaas burned in rage and humiliation even as he remained in the capital.

“You have come at just the right time,” Empress Melissa sent Zaas a smile – one that was rich with charm and completely different from the one she had just given her daughter.

Although there were many who scorned or ignored him, Melissa highly valued this young general who had refused to join the crown prince’s side. While Zaas, for his part, had vowed to himself that he would rise to fight again, and the eyes he turned towards the empress were filled with an even fiercer light than they had been before his defeat in battle.

“There is something I want you to do,” Melissa seemed to be offering him a temptation.

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