Chapter II: A Prelude Of Worse Things To Come
Großwald/The Great Forest, Kingdom of Earlshide
(Shin's POV)
"What on earth are these?" (Gus)
The three of us are staring at something unbelievable.
More specifically, it's a single set of prints belonging to some massive predatory animal. A bear, perhaps? No, despite the fact that these prints are literally the size of dinner plates, they don't have the requisite five toes or large pad areas... instead, there are four symmetrical toes with exposed claws on top, and two visible lobes at the bottom of each pad.
Sicily leans in to inspect the animal tracks and unwittingly reveals a healthy amount of décolletage due to her rather precarious posture. I can literally feel blood trickling out of my nose. Meanwhile, the Head Forester and the woodsmen who had brought this entire matter to our attention are trying their very best to not gawk at her.
"These don't seem to be similar to the bear, tiger or lion prints that we've seen in our travels so far..." (Sicily)
Unsurprisingly, Sicily appears to have reached the same conclusion as I have.
"It's a wolf, then?" (Shin)
"That's what we've surmised as well, m'lord. Although these tracks aren't what we'd usually expect from specimens of Canis lupus¹ or Canis dirus²... based from the size of these prints alone and from their residual demonic energy, we're thinking that these are from Canis i. infernalis³ or even Canis i. titanicus⁴... in other words, it's likely to be a varg⁵, sire." (Head Forester)
"A demonized wolf, you mean? Maybe even bigger than a calamity-class, from the looks of these... but how can one as big as that suddenly turn up here without our knowledge?" (Gus)
"It's exactly as Your Highness says... in any case, we've yet to receive a confirmed sighting of this beast... so we're also not discounting the possibility of it being already part of the local fauna as opposed to being a stray from the Empire, if one pays heed to the villagers' legends over here. The folk hereabouts are a mite superstitious, y'see... there's talk of it possibly being the same fell creature who is said to inhabit the haunted fens deep in the forest, where only a few men have entered and lived to tell the tale."
Everyone's faces are instantly drained of color.
"... this is just great..." (Gus)
Luckily, I was never the "superstitious" type. Ha! All those science books and paranormal phenomena-debunking articles that I've read in the previous world made sure of that.
"Cheer up, Gus... you heard what he said, maybe it's only a stupid old legend after all, right? Haha..." (Shin)
My attempt at reassurance is met with an awkward silence, and I look around to see that everyone is staring at me with weird expressions on their faces.
"Um... it's your family's legend, m'lord." (Head Forester)
Wolford Manor, Kingdom of Earlshide
(Merlin's POV)
As soon as Shin and the others return from their impromptu afternoon trip using Gate, they immediately head upstairs to freshen up with barely a greeting. Something must've happened. I can clearly sense the waves of anxiety and worry emanating from them, though I reckon that it's better to not push them into explaining everything for now.
I exchange glances with Melinda. It seems that we have no other option but to wait.
After a couple of hours, Sicily comes down to the grand salon freshly bathed and dressed up for dinner, with her attendants Celesta and Fulmina in tow. Despite her modest appearance, she looks every inch the daughter of a viscount.
"Ah, there you are. Marika's just told us that the food will be ready in about ten minutes. Will Shin be joining us as well?" (Merlin)
"Yes, grandfather. He's currently in his room, but he'll be down shortly." (Sicily)
"Splendid." Lord only knows how difficult it's always been for Melinda and I, just to get that lazy boy of ours to take his meals on time. How the devil does this girl even manage to do it?
Melinda looks up from the diagrams that she's currently studying and eyes Sicily's choice of outfit with an approving gaze, before setting her magnifying glass down with well-practiced fastidiousness.
"Sicily, while we're waiting... can you please play some music for us, my dear?" (Melinda)
Our new prospective granddaughter-in-law obediently curtsies and sits down at the harpsichord, flanked by her two lady's maids. Her delicate fingers fly across the keys like sparrows in flight as she does an especially moving medley rendition of Ramondo da Filichaia's "Sonata in C Major, K.16" and Felix Bötticher's "Letzte von den Gefallenen⁶". Melinda seems lost in thought as she watches the girl play her piece.
"Our Shin's quite lucky, isn't he? To have someone like her as a wife... indeed, they seem very much besotted with each other. He literally adores her to pieces. Quite unlike someone I know..." (Melinda)
"Come off it, woman. I doted on you plenty enough when we were younger," I managed to grunt before adding, "And as for being 'besotted'... if my memory serves me right, you were the one who refused to let me out of our bed for almost three days straight during our honeymoon..." Ah, those were the days, indeed.
"M-Merlin! Not in front of Sicily, you old rascal!" (Melinda)
I duck quickly as a small jam jar whizzes past my head, thankful for the fact that my reflexes are still pretty sharp, even at my age.
Truth be told, I've always enjoyed getting a rise out of Melinda, if only so that I could see how she'd react each time.
Sicily herself does not even seem to give any indication that she has overheard our conversation (though there are two spots of color high on her cheeks) as she continues hitting note after note perfectly. Her face is a serene mask of concentration.
Melinda sighs and massages the veins on her forehead. "Honestly, with such a hopeless wastrel of a grandfather hanging around, it's really no wonder at all that Shin lacks common sense..."
"Gu..." (Merlin)
"Aw, don't be so unfair, grandma! I'm always trying my best, you know?" (Shin)
We all crane our necks to see Shin bounding down the stairs, with his friend Prince August following closely behind him. It appears that their spooked expressions from this afternoon have already disappeared. Shin soon plops himself down next to me on the settee.
"Indeed you have, my boy." I say with a hint of pride, remembering how Shin had already accomplished so much at his young age. I reach out to ruffle his hair, but decide on clapping him fondly on the shoulder instead. He's grown up so fast. Soon enough, he'll be starting a family of his own.
"... His Majesty Diseum the First, by the Grace of God, king of Earlshide and of the Western Territories, grand duke of Chernau, landgrave⁷ of Großer Marstein and of Kaßen, hereditary prince-elector⁸ of Thrön and hereditary count palatine of Drachen within the Imperial Dominion!"
A footman stationed near the entrance hall loudly announces the arrival of our dear family friend and regular houseguest, who is then led by the majordomo through the maze of antechambers in the piano nobile⁹ to our small family gathering in the grand salon. His two men-at-arms trail him from a few feet away.
"Good evening, father. My, you look particularly troubled today..." (Gus)
"Hello, Uncle Dis!" (Shin)
"... " (Dis)
Diseum often visits us to unburden himself by grumbling about the affairs of state. Apparently (like his son), our household is the only place where he could truly be himself and casually forget about such things as royal protocol.
It looks like today is no exception.
Marika discreetly glides into the room from the dining hall after all the perfunctory greetings are made, and announces that our dinner is ready - just as Sicily finishes up her performance to a round of applause.
(Shin's POV)
"No, no, no no no! A thousand times NO!" (Merlin)
Grandpa splutters while helping himself to herb tarts and spoonfuls of civet de Chevreuil¹⁰ stew, scattering bits of venison across his plate (much to Grandma's annoyance).
"Oh, don't be such a child, Merlin... it's not like you've ceased being part of the nobility just because your family stopped using their imperial titles ages ago. Besides, we also have to think of how this would benefit Shin and Sicily's future children..." (Melinda)
"... like I've said before, Merlin, the purpose here is to not tie you and your family down to the Earlshide kingdom, but to merely restore the margraviate of Wolford in the Mark to its former glory. The heralds at the Royal College of Arms are already updating the Letters Patent at this very moment, so there's actually very little that you can do to stop it. The letters specifically indicate that the hereditary title of 'margrave¹¹' shall be borne by all legitimate members of the Wolford family at the same time, in the old imperial style, while the secondary titles of 'waldgrave' and 'raugrave' are to be held in abeyance for Shin's future heirs. Ahh, and before I forget, please give my compliments to Corell as well. He's really outdone himself today... this espadon grillé à la sauce Cortain¹² is absolutely divine! I must have this recipe for the Royal Kitchens!" (Dis)
"Pah! Trying to yank my chain with your sophistry again, eh, Diseum? Don't you dare change the subject." (Merlin)
Uncle Dis's bodyguard Siegfried discreetly whispers to his colleague Christina, "Let's just try to keep a low profile by pretending we're not here..."
"It's nothing of the sort, old boy," Uncle Dis says with a sigh, "This was truly the least that I could do, after everything that you and your family have done for this kingdom and for the rest of the world. Besides, I didn't have much of a choice anyway, since this form of compensation was what the citizens wanted... apparently the Cross of the First Order of Merit with Swords and the Badge of the Order of the Golden Dragon weren't even enough for them. Hehe."
"All right, I give up." Grandpa's sigh can be heard across the room.
I marvel at the direction that this dinner conversation's taking... at any rate, at least it's distracting them from asking us where we went today. Just thinking about the whole thing gives me the creeps.
Sicily is still struggling to comprehend the situation due to the rapid escalation of events, while Gus just sniggers opposite me while picking at his meal.
"I-I'm going to be a countess?" (Sicily)
"No. You're going to be a margravine, my dear, not just a mere countess... which, in this case would mean being the wife of someone who holds power in an area that's nearly equivalent to an autonomous principality... or at least that's what Diseum has been trying to tell us for the past hour. I suppose that you've already heard that Merlin's ancestors used to be the sovereign royal family here before the imperials or the Earlshides came along?" (Melinda)
Sicily nods mutely.
"Well, it looks like Shin's the only one who didn't know after all..." (Gus)
I sigh in embarrassment. Gus, I swear, I'm gonna kill you one of these days.
However, there are more than a few details pertinent to the ongoing conversation which I would need some clarification on. Starting with...
"Um, what's so great about being a margrave...? I just want to be plain old 'me', without these fancy complicated titles and all..." (Shin)
Someone groans loudly, and I notice a strange, meaningful look that passes silently between Grandma and Grandpa. It's like they're having this whole other unspoken little conversation with their eyes that no one else is privy to.
Uncle Dis tries to break the awkward impasse between them, however Grandpa's next few words betray his indignation. "Hmph. Why is it always my fault wherever Shin is concerned, Melinda? I happen to know that look of yours very well. You're blaming everything on me for not teaching him the importance of common sense, social etiquette and history... which is, frankly, unfair. I'm just trying to do what's best for him, that's all. He doesn't even need to know all of these ridiculous things... as far as I'm concerned, he already knows enough to survive in the forest all by himself, which would have enabled him to live a decent and quiet life, if only everything had turned out a little bit differently. I really can't see why you want me to turn him into someone like Aria..."
Upon mentioning that name, something seems to shatter inside Grandma, who abruptly slams her palms onto the table.
"Don't you dare start that again with me, Merlin! Just... don't..." (Melinda)
Uncle Dis clears his throat.
"The state of this world is changing faster than you or Shin can keep up with, Merlin. It's time to let go of the past... you have to accept the fact that living in the forest like a recluse and hiding from the harsh realities of life is no longer an option for you in these troubling times. The people are in desperate need of their heroes, and having your family at the forefront once more will give them hope for a brighter future. In the meantime, I'll be assigning Sieg, Michel and Gus to help fill in the crucial gaps in Shin's social education posthaste." (Dis)
Grandma shakes her head, gets up unsteadily, and flees the room in tears, with Isolde - her lady's maid - chasing after her and muttering apologies to everyone. The entire room is stunned except for Uncle Dis, who just quietly chews his food with his eyes closed in deep thought.
What the heck just happened? And more importantly, WHO is Aria?
¹Canis lupus is the species name for the common wolf.
²Canis dirus is the species name for the direwolf.
³Canis infernalis infernalis is the species name for the demonized common wolf, aka a varg.
⁴Canis infernalis titanicus is the species name for an abnormally large variation of the demonized common wolf or direwolf, often referred to as calamity-class.
⁵Varg refers to any demonized wolf specimen, including but not limited to Canis i. infernalis and Canis i. titanicus. Based on the Norse word Vargr.
⁶Ramondo da Filichaia's "Sonata in C Major, K.16" and Felix Bötticher's "Letzte von den Gefallenen" - I just made this shit up.
⁷Landgrave: a rank in the same class as a duke and above the rank of an earl or count. This rank has imperial immediacy, or feudal duty owed directly to the emperor. A landgrave's jurisdiction stretched over a sometimes quite considerable territory, which was not subservient to an intermediate power, such as a duke, a bishop or count palatine. Thus, by definition, a landgrave exercised sovereign rights over his own domain.
⁸Prince-Elector: a rank signifying a prince of the empire who had a right to participate in the election of the emperor (in this case, the leader of Blauekugel or Bluesphere) as part of the electoral college.
⁹Piano nobile: (Italian: "noble floor"), in architecture, the main floor of a Renaissance building.
¹⁰Civet de Chevreuil is a richly-flavored wild-game stew which contains venison and chunks of boar meat in Chevreuil sauce.
¹¹Margrave: a rank in the same class as a duke and above the rank of an earl or count. A margrave or "marcher lord" originally functioned as the military governor of a march, a medieval border province. Because the territorial integrity of the borders of the realm of a king or emperor was essential to national security, the vassal (whether a count or other lord) whose lands were on the march of the kingdom or empire was likely to be appointed a margrave and given greater responsibility for securing the border. The Margraviate of Wolford, being a former sovereign territory under the same ruling family, possesses a status equivalent to an independent principality within the kingdom's borders.
¹²Espadon grillé à la sauce Cortain is a dish I made up, which consists of grilled swordfish served in Kurtish sauce (mutton broth, cloves, leeks, eggs, lemon juice, garlic and cinnamon).
Song inspirations for this chapter: Claude Gervaise - "Branle de Champagne" performed by Ulsamer Collegium Ensemble, Johann Hermann Schein - "Banchetto Musicale - Suite No. 3: IV. Allemande-Tripla" performed by The Renaissance Music Players
A/N: Similar to the manga, this story's Wolford Manor is more of a "Patrician villa" with Palladian-style Renaissance architecture, instead of the anime adaptation's "Konosuba" Victorian-era mansion... the house has a raised central building accessible from the front with a ramp and two symmetrical arcaded service wings attached to each side of the main building, terminating into three-storey dovecoted pavilions. The architecture combines real-world elements inspired by Villa Valmarana Scagnolari Zen (main house), Villa Emo (raised entrance ramp, symmetrical wings, pavilions, manicured gardens) and Villa Barbaro (chapel, nymphaeum).
Sorry for the long wait guys ... next chapter is still TBA for now.