10. Usefulness
…
He opened his eyes and blinked a few times. Kamiizumi could not remember, at first, where he was or what happened.
The screaming.
The stabbing.
More screaming.
Magic, surging through his body.
Someone healed him, before he fell unconscious. Or, to be more precise, healed that most fatal wound of his.
Kamiizumi tried sitting up in bed, but two hands gently but firmly pushed his chest, pushing him back down.
"Commander," Praline stated, voice weak, "You really should sleep."
He sharply turned his head, wincing at the soreness of his neck, as he faced her. "Praline…?"
The Performer stood by his bedside, a frown on her face instead of her usual smile. "I really want to hug you, and I know you want to hug me out of relief that I'm okay, but you really, really, need to rest." The Performer insisted. The bunny-eared headband she wore was on the bedtable nearby. Rarely did she ever take them off. She must have been anxious to see if he was alright. It made him try wondering how long she waited for him to wake, but his head did indeed hurt.
Trying to breathe into his stomach, he grimaced at the dull pain that ensued. It was a stabbing pain, but also a dull pain at the same time. Praline winced at his expression. "Oh yeah. You got stabbed, apparently. That's…it's gonna leave a scar. It might take some getting used to. Sorry."
"…it's not your fault." He swallowed, taking shallower breaths so there would be less pain. "You didn't stab me—"
…Edea did. Edea stabbed him.
His own pupil stabbed him. The young woman who was the closest person he had to a daughter, because he had no children of his own, and…
"Crystals."
Jaw clenched, teeth gritted, he felt tears well up in his eyes that he tried blinking away.
"…She stabbed me. Edea stabbed me, Praline—!"
A gasp escaped the Performer as he lurched forwards, sitting up and promptly embracing her as tight as he could. Granted, he was weaker at the moment—otherwise his grip would be a vise. He kept his mouth closed as much as he could, but she felt him tremble, and she was sure he was crying.
"Commander?"
He still sobbed. Praline decided it was best to just let him cry. She knew he cared for Edea—the two were master and pupil, after all, but the Performer hadn't realized how badly Edea's betrayal affected him. Not until now.
Sudden knocking at the door made Kamiizumi freeze. Taking a deep breath, he slowly exaled as he pulled back from embracing Praline, letting her go. The Performer frowned, taking a handkerchief from a pocket of her frilly dress, wiping the Swordmaster's face with it as best as she could.
"Thank you…" Kamiizumi offered her a faint smile, then looked to the door, smile vanishing. "You can come in, whoever it is."
A man walked in, using a cane to stay steady on his feet. Kamiizumi first noticed the metal hand gripping that cane, and then realized that was attached to metal arm. The metal leg was the second thing that Kamiizumi noticed.
But it was the look in the man's lone working eye that caught his attention. The man seemed unreadable in his gaze alone. At least, at first.
"I see you're awake." The man spoke. The Swordmaster kept his gaze trained on him, hoping that his eyes did not look too teary. He doubted showing weakness was a good idea, even if he was already in a hospital bed and recovering from an injury or more. "You're Nobutsuna Kamiizumi, correct? General Asthar, Sir Therius, and Miss Praline and Edea told me about you."
Kamiizumi looked to Praline, who gave him a sheepish look, before he looked to the other man again, nodding once.
"Yes. I am." He swallowed, throat a bit dry, before asking, "Who are you?"
"Lucius Arganan. Count of Lazulis Island."
"The island's ruler, then." It was then that Kamiizumi remembered the face of the person above him when the magic surged within him. "…You saved me."
The Count nodded. "I did."
"You have my gratitude, Count."
Praline was silent, watching both men. The Count looked to her, frowning faintly. "Can we continue this conversation in private, please?"
"What? But…" As Praline looked to Kamiizumi, the Swordmaster simply gave her a nod in agreement with the Count.
"I'll be fine, Praline." Kamiizumi tried to reassure her. "And thank you, for being by my side when first woke up."
"…Okay." Praline took a deep breath, moving away from the Swordmaster's side and towards the door. As she walked past the Count, she gave him one look. She wanted to communicate to the Count that he better not hurt the Swordmaster.
What unnerved her was that he barely flinched in return. She left the room…only to hide behind the door, to listen and look. Neither man noticed her staying as they continued to speak with each other.
"If you've spoken to Edea, Praline, General Asthar and Sir Therius," Kamiizumi started, "I imagine you know of the Civil War in Eisen, back in Luxendarc—the world where Edea, Praline and I come from."
"Yes. I do know that. In fact," The Count moved to sit in a chair beside the bed, the same chair Praline sat in just moments earlier, to make proper eye contact with the Swordmaster, "Concerning your world…it seems both of us have wars to fight. Edea was your target and former student of yours, yes?"
Praline watched as Kamiizumi listened, face turning to neutrality. She knew he was good at masking his emotion when he wanted to…usually.
"She was." Kamiizumi finally admitted. "But the Wind Vestal was the primary target to capture, to stop her from awakening all the Crystals in Luxendarc. It'll bring great ruin if she completes her mission back in our world."
"As far as I understand from questioning Edea and what Sir Therius told me," Arganan managed, "Edea is a very close ally of hers. Without her, I doubt the Vestal can reach all her targets so quickly."
"Edea and her party slaughtered many of the Duchy." Kamiizumi frowned. "I wouldn't underestimate her or the Vestal if I were you."
The other couldn't help but chuckle faintly. "I have her locked up in the dungeon, with soldiers to look after her cell. I also made sure to have her searched for any weapons on hand and confiscated all of them. She won't escape that easily, Swordmaster."
Kamiizumi did not respond. The Count sighed.
"I imagine you're anxious to return back home, to ensure the Vestal does not destroy the world. And I can help you with that, actually."
"But not without a price. Am I correct?"
The Count gave him a look. "I'm aware of the deal that your Grand Marshal made with Sir Therius and General Asthar to get back here. So, I offer you the same one, of sorts. I'll have you help lead Lazulis against the Gurak that threaten this island and the entire Empire. In return? You and Praline get a way back home to your world for sure."
Kamiizumi frowned. "Not Edea?"
"She is a traitor to you and the rest of the Duchy, yes? Why send her back with you?" Arganan smirked, watching the Swordmaster's eyes widen, if only a little. "Wouldn't the Duchy see her as better off dead at this point? Her vanishing completely from her world helps them."
"…That is true." The Swordmaster looked deep in thought. Praline knew he was thinking—she saw his face go neutral again. It took a moment, then two, and then he spoke again. "As much as I understand where you come from, I'll have to bring her back with me. She should be appropriately punished in the world she comes from, even if that means death in the end."
There was no going back. Edea had truly, deeply, betrayed him and the rest of the Duchy. As much as he loved her like a master did their pupil, or a father figure towards a person he saw like a daughter, he didn't tolerate betrayal, either.
"Very well, then. You and Praline work with me, and you two and Edea get to go back. Is that fair?"
The Swordmaster took a deep breath, still surprisingly keeping some sort of calm, even if he wasn't fully calm. Praline thought he might panic more, given that he just woke up from being so injured, but…
"What prevents from just, I don't know, stealing General Asthar's medal and going back home myself?" The Swordmaster challenged. Eyebrows furrowed as he locked gazes. "Why should I trust you?"
"Because I'll tell you the details of this war we have the Gurak. All of them. Why would I trust you with helping me in a war if I don't give you the full details?"
"All details? Including your errors?" Kamiizumi kept the gaze level with the Count. "Do you swear that as Count?"
"I swear it, because I know I have a lot to lose and I'm willing to take this gamble. I know you didn't give full details of the civil war back in your world and that cost your downfall. Maybe if I do the opposite and show you all the details from the get-go, you might help us lead Lazulis to victory."
Praline watched the Swordmaster's face crumble, and she couldn't stop herself from cringing. The Count really wasn't holding back, and she knew why—the Count saw him as useful. And her, evidently, but more the Swordmaster than her.
Damn it. Maybe telling the Count where she'd come from and what happened back there hadn't been the best idea. Then again, it was hard not to when you had General Asthar and Therius' experiences to hear from, as well as Edea. She didn't like getting questioned.
Also, she knew she was far too much of a talker than one that kept silent. That really didn't help.
She quickly ducked behind a suit of armor as the Count started walking out of the room. He passed by her, not noticing, and after he'd gone some distance away from her, she snuck back into the hospital room, shutting the door behind her.
"You heard everything?" Kamiizumi asked, sitting up in bed. Praline went over to his bedside, adjusting the pillows so that he could sit up a bit better.
"Yeah." She managed, looking to him. "I did. What do we do?"
"Well," He looked down at himself, then up at her, "We'll have to bide our time. We could just take the General's medal and sneak back home with it—Asthar practically told me how it worked back in Luxendarc, when he tried to get Therius. But the Count did save my life. What he offers in exchange for safe passage back home is the exact same deal that the Grand Marshal gave to Therius and Asthar when they were in our world."
Praline stared. "You're going to take the deal?"
"We don't have that much of a choice." He looked to her, sureness in his expression. "The Count knows I'll need time to recover. This means more time for everyone else to know of my presence in this castle. If I were to suddenly up and disappear with you, they might think…"
"That we're spies for this Gurak they're fighting." Praline finished.
"Exactly. Working with them is the only option we have. However," The Swordmaster extended a hand towards her, gently placing it on her shoulder, "I will make sure you get back safe, no matter what happens. I already failed in ensuring Barbarossa and Kikyo's safety, and Qada is dead at my own hand. You're the only one I have left, and…I don't want you dying in this unfamiliar world. You stayed by my side since you were a young teenager—practically a child. You have a lot longer to live and experience back home, and I don't want to deprive you of that any more than I already have by letting you join me in the war in the first place."
"Commander…"
"Swordmaster is fine. I'm not really commanding much."
Praline watched the Swordmaster's eyes. She'd seen him like this before, kind of—losing hope.
"Well," Praline took a deep breath, looking into his eyes, "You can count on me. And you letting me join you, despite me being a kid at the time—I know you trust me. And I'm not giving up on you getting back home, either."
His grey eyes widened, and he was speechless. But the silent smile that came afterwards was gratitude enough.
"He's recovering in the hospital wing, General?"
"Yes." Asthar and Therius walked through the halls of Lazulis Castle, both of them talking in low voices. "Praline is with him now."
"What of Miss Edea?" The white knight thought of the blonde, the stab wound she gave the Swordmaster earlier. "I know she's being held in the dungeon at the moment, but…are they just going to hold her back like this forever?"
"The Count probably wants the Swordmaster on his side." Asthar managed. "That's why he did it. Locking up the traitor to Eternia will put him in Kamiizumi's favour just that much more."
"I see." Therius frowned. If that was the case… "What do we do? How do we press forward?"
"We're back in Lazulis, and this war with the Gurak needs to be ended." Asthar looked to his medal, then up at Therius. "As much as I doubt the Swordmaster will be happy with this current situation, we'll need all the help we can get in this war. I can see where the Count is coming from with this."
"What of Zael?"
"The lad with the Outsider's Mark?" Asthar thought back to that young mercenary. "I doubt the Count has forgotten him, either. The Count never forgets anyone who has usefulness to him. All we can do now is keep our eyes and ears open, Therius. I don't know what the Swordmaster is planning, nor the Count. And somehow…I doubt Edea can be put away so easily."
I've seen him.
For the love of the Outsider, I've been him in a way.
That broken look in his eyes in the same one I saw in my own, when I woke up years ago and found I lost my left limbs. He's lost a war, and his own student betrayed him—he's fragile, in a way. Surely he cannot be well, and is devastated by what he has went through, given what information Sir Therius, General Asthar, and those two women Edea and Praline told me. Though he is from another world, I feel this…sense of connection.
Nobutsuna Kamiizumi. A key commander in the Eisen Civil War back in Luxendarc, according to General Asthar, and wielder of the Swordmaster Asterisk. Also the mentor of Edea Lee, who is currently locked up in the Lazulis Castle Dungeon. I don't think I can trust that young woman. If she turned on her home country, she could easily side with the Gurak. Traitors should never be trusted.
The Swordmaster will be useful once he fully recovers. He and General Asthar both can whip my knights into shape, I am sure of it. Though, I cannot help but wonder…
Despite having people I am sure can help lead Lazulis to victory, why do I feel nothing but doom awaiting us?