CHAPTER 8
"I shall stop wasting time and get to the point. Pass that man over to me."
"Unfortunately, Your Excellency, we have no choice but to refuse. We
have need to question him, and we have not yet determined whether he might
be one of Your Excellency's men," explained Lisa.
"Th-That's right!" the spy suddenly burst out. "She told me to—"
"Silence," Meifa barked. "Who are you but a filthy dog who plays with
old bones?"
The weight of her words reflected her position as head of a nation.
Having taken those words at full force, the man fell to the ground and started
trembling in fear once more.
Satisfied, Meifa turned back to Lisa. "Let us strike a deal. If you hand
this man over to me, I shall stop pursuing information about this kingdom's
magic forces."
"May I take that to mean Your Excellency will cut this observational
visit short?"
"That's right. Although I would have liked to stay for longer, I will drop
it for now."
"Does Your Excellency believe this is a fair deal?"
"There is clearly some trick behind the sudden rise in strength of your
magicians. I believe it relates to a device made primarily of glass," said
Meifa.
Though she didn't show it on her face, Lisa was surprised by Meifa's
words.
"I'll admit, you've been keeping your secret well. Separating the
production lines to keep any one person from knowing too much is genius. I
shall keep it in mind for future reference."
"Did Your Excellency manage to slip men past the Guild's guard?"
"No, it was much too tight. My people couldn't even get close to this
glass device's workshop. The method of production was something I had to
discover for myself, and your country didn't make it easy." Meifa paused.
"So, which is it? I have no objections to staying in Lainur a little longer."
"Very well. We accept. However, we shall deal with the rest of the men
who were captured."
"As you wish. One more thing. When that device is announced, I expect
to be the first invited to negotiate. Until then, I will speak no more of it. We
will, of course, make these miscreants pay for the damages they have caused.
How's that?"
"I shall inform His Majesty."
"Honestly, I have no idea why you're taking so long. Perhaps it is
misplaced pride. However, I wish you'd unveil that thing sooner rather than
later. It's clear how far it would boost a nation's magic forces. There's no
need to wait; you've already reaped the benefits." Meifa dropped her gaze to
the spy. That cold stare was like the sharp glint of polished steel. "You have
caused our nation an insurmountable loss. If you hadn't interfered, I might
have been negotiating already."
"Grk!"
Meifa's guards moved in to tie up the spy.
"Wait!" a childish voice called out from afar. Not long after, its owner
came rushing up in a hurry.
Everyone stopped in their tracks, completely caught off-guard by the new
arrival. It was Gown, the Grave Sprite, his shadowy figure hidden under his
blue robe.
He trotted up to Meifa. "Hello, Meifa!"
"Good evening."
"Hmmhmm!" Gown gave a satisfied nod at her response before turning
to look at the spy on the ground. "You can take him with you, okay? But I
need to wipe his memory first! So please wait!"
"But Gown..." Meifa began hesitantly.
She was clearly conflicted. If she allowed Gown to fix the man's
memory, she might miss out on valuable information.
The elf didn't wait for her to finish, instead trotting up to the spy and
preparing to lift a sleeve in the air.
"I can't let you do that."
"Please don't get in my way!"
The figures next to Meifa sprang into action in a foolish attempt to stop
Gown.
"Wait! Stay ba—" Meifa called.
"Get them."
She was cut off by Gown's cool order. The next second, the light from
Gown's lantern gave shape to a pack of beastly shadows. Long tongues lolled
from their mouths; no one watching could keep count of their legs. They
didn't look like the sorts of creatures an elf should be handling. They darted
through the night, passing the guards' position within seconds. Defenseless,
they fell immediately.
"I don't try and get in your way. Please don't get in mine, because there's
stuff I have to do." There was a sad tone in his voice, a far cry from his usual
cheerful disposition. His eyes narrowed, Gown turned to Meifa. "Are you
going to get in my way too, Meifa?"
"No. We humans owe too much to you. I wouldn't even consider doing
something so rude."
"Good!" Gown's eyes scrunched up into a smile, and he approached the
spy once more.
The spy trembled in fear and tried to pull back, but Gown's sleeve was
on his head in an instant. The next second, the man fell gently into
unconsciousness. Next, Gown approached Lisa.
"Hello, Lisa!"
"Hello, Master Gown."
Gown beckoned to her, and Lisa crouched down to hear what he had to
say.
"I'll make sure no one remembers about the aethometer either," he
whispered.
"Are you sure?"
"It's Arcus's special tool, and he helped me a lot," Gown said, patting the
heads of his phantom pack gently. The next moment, the elf disappeared into
the darkness.
It was hard to keep up with him sometimes; he did everything in his own
time.
"Uh, what are we gonna do with these guys, anyway?" Cazzy suddenly
said, gesturing to the blacked-out guards and the spy.
There were five men all together. They couldn't just leave them lying
around.
"Well, we shall have to do something," remarked Noah.
"I could go and fetch some help when I go and report this," said Lisa.
"No way! You're just tryin'a run!"
Though Cazzy tried to stop her, Lisa was gone before he was able.
"It's like she said. You have to do something."
With those words, it was clear that Meifa wasn't expecting to take on any
of the responsibility herself.
A month had passed since the incident, and Lainur castle's Firefly
Garden had a visitor: a man with a gray beard. His apparel was hardly suitable for a visitor of sufficient status to be received in the king's private
garden; he wore a splendid fringed cloak with a cutlass too big for ordinary
human hands affixed to his back and topped it all off a tricorn hat. Even
though he was alone, his appearance would make anyone suspect that a pirate
ship had just docked in the nearest port.
This man's name was Barbaros. He swaggered comfortably up the stone
path to the garden's central gazebo. The owner of the garden, Shinlu
Crosellode, was waiting for him with somebody else. He looked to be around
ten years old and wore an extravagant outfit embroidered with golden
dragons. A black veil fell from his noble cap, obscuring his face. He was
Lainur's crown prince: Ceylan Crosellode.
Behind the two royals stood Lainur's state magicians, the nation's pride
and joy. They were here to guard Shinlu and Ceylan. Among them was Craib
Abend, also known as Crucible.
Barbaros mounted the gazebo steps and opened his mouth, speaking in a
casual tone. "Hey. Sorry to interrupt."
"If you know you're interrupting," said Shinlu, "then make this quick.
I've got other business to deal with."
"No need to be mean. We're pals, ain't we?"
"Maybe from your perspective."
"Huh. I gotta say I was expectin' a warmer welcome after all this time."
Barbaros frowned and stroked his beard.
Shinlu kept his sharp gaze on the seafarer, treating him as he would any
hostile figure.
Barbaros's eyes widened as he spotted the child standing next to the king.
"Hey, is that the prodigious prince I've been hearin' so much about?"
He looked Ceylan up and down. Each passing second of his presence
added breaches of conduct in the face of royalty to the pile, but the king
wasn't bothering to pick them out one by one—and that was due to
Barbaros's own status.
"A pleasure to meet you, King Barbaros zan Grandon of Granciel."
For some reason, Barbaros frowned. He turned to Shinlu. "He's pretty
stiff. You sure he's your son?"
"We've brought him up well. He might even have better manners than
me."
"No, Father. I still have much to learn." Ceylan dipped his head.
"See?"
"Yeah," Barbaros agreed with a shrug, dropping down into the seat
prepared for him. "I've heard you guys are doin' well for yourselves over
here lately. Economically speaking."
"Well, we're not especially looking to get rich."
"You kiddin'? I can practically smell the lucre rollin' off you."
"You always were fond of that kind of thing, weren't you?" Shinlu
pointed to his wine glass to have it refilled.
The two gave a toast before bringing their glasses to their lips.
Barbaros drained his glass in one go before shifting his gaze over to
Craib. "You're lookin' well, Craib."
"It has certainly been a long time, Your Majesty."
"Isn't it about time you joined my crew already? I can't think of a better
time than now."
"I believe I already declined Your Majesty's generous offer."
"You did? Sorry, must've forgotten. Happens at my age!" Barbaros
guffawed briefly, before a serious look crossed his face once more. "Oh,
right. I wanted to ask about your nephew, Arcus."
Craib's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He wasn't expecting to hear
Arcus's name this evening, nor from the king of Granciel's mouth.
"What about Arcus?"
"I want you to give him to me." Barbaros shot Craib a meaningful grin. It
was the grin of a greedy pirate warning his rival not to hog all the treasure for
himself.
"If I may ask, where did Your Majesty meet my nephew?"
"Ran into him about a month ago during a trip here."
"Your Majesty came to Lainur?"
"I had them set some special drink aside for me at my favorite tavern,"
Barbaros boasted. "Listen, I'll pay you however much it takes for the boy. I'll
pack our biggest ship with cash and give her to you, if y'want."
The other state magicians stared in astonishment at his brazen offer.
"I'm not going to hand him over, no matter how many ships I'm
offered," Craib said firmly.
"Thought not. He's too special for that. If he was ordinary enough to be
bought, we'd have Arcuses springin' up all over the place," Barbaros said,
finally dropping the subject.
At that moment, there was a commotion from the cloister which led onto
the garden. A man in seafarer's dress was being led to the garden by the royal guard.
"Captain! I have a report!"
"Speak!" Barbaros ordered in a thunderous roar.
The sailor's eyes lit up. "We won, Captain! Zeilner has fallen!"
Shinlu narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "You captured Zeilner?"
Barbaros rumbled with laughter. "Sounds like it! Nice!"
"Congratulations, Captain!" the seafarer cheered.
"Finally time to crack out the good stuff!"
"We have already prepared it for the toast."
Barbaros kept laughing for some time before turning back to Craib.
"Craib. I gotta thank you. This victory's all thanks to your nephew!"
"I'm sorry?"
"He walked me through just how we were gonna capture Zeilner."
"Arcus did that?" Craib frowned dubiously.
Why would Arcus help the king of another nation, let alone a rival one?
The other magicians looked just as uneasy as he did.
"I was already aware of this," Ceylan said. "This man was hiding his true
identity and asked Arcus to show him the path to victory by disguising the
battle plans as an idle war game."
"It's true. I'm surprised you know, Prince Prodigy. Or maybe not. You
are s'posed to be keepin' an eye on that kinda thing, after all."
Ceylan didn't respond.
Craib glared at Barbaros. "I must ask Your Majesty to refrain from using
Arcus like that again."
"Don't get me wrong—I was just foolin' around. I just thought askin' a
couple of kids would give me a fresh perspective, but then he came out with
this crazy strategy, see?"
"A strategy which led to victory?" Shinlu prompted.
"Yup. I thought it was a funny idea, but I never thought it would actually
work. The Empire tried to get their mitts on that place for ten years, and here
I am doin' it in a month! I can't think of anythin' more hilarious than that!"
Barbaros let out a hearty laugh.
Zeilner was a fortress with near-impregnable defenses. Three sides of the
city were surrounded by ocean, and the fourth side was protected by high
walls. Even with its vast military power, the Empire failed to capture the city
and was eventually forced to give up—a mark against them they'd yet to live
down.
"See, this is why I want you to hand Arcus over to me."
"Not happening."
"Oh, and there was that noble girl, Susia or somethin'. She was one
powerful little magician; I want her too. Not to mention I think she'll grow up
to be a fine lass. Just like me." Barbaros kept talking without regard for
Craib's objection.
Shinlu didn't say anything, clearly used to the captain's attitude.
"I cannot believe you made Arcus's absurd plan a reality," said Ceylan.
"Surprised, Prince? I was sold on it pretty quickly, y'know, mostly
'cause he just seemed so confident. Besides, it wasn't the plan itself that
impressed me."
"You didn't think the plan itself useful?"
"Not really. It was when he said 'Wars are often won by catching the
opponent entirely off guard.' If he never said that, I might not've tried it out.
It makes sense, right? Doing somethin' the opponent never thought of
practically guarantees you a breakthrough." Barbaros took a sip of his wine.
"There's nothin' like the first drink after hearin' news of victory. Gimme the
vintage on this once we're done here. I'll grab myself some with my new ship
on the way out."
"The taste's been ruined for me," said Shinlu. "I'll sell the whole batch to
you if you want. Just be prepared for the tariffs."
"I'll pay whatever you want. Any price you name'll be worth less than a
bird's tears compared to the prize I just got me." Barbaros looked up at the
sky. "Arcus is a good kid. He'll help me achieve tons of dreams. What about
you, Shinlu? He ever fulfill one of your dreams for you?"
"He's a mere child."
"Hey, I know that. But you're king of one of the most powerful nations
in this world, and you sure seem to know a lot about him. Why's that, then?"
"Who can say?"
Barbaros exploded into laughter.
"I get it. He's doing somethin' to help this country out, and not somethin'
small neither." The captain's face suddenly twisted into a sneer. "Shinlu. You
remember our promise, don't you?"
"If you manage a successful attack on our kingdom, I will submit myself
to you without question. I do remember that 'promise.' I prefer to call it
nonsense."
"'Slong as you remember. I'm lookin' forward to seeing how things pan out especially once everything that's yours becomes mine."
"I believe that is more idealistic an outlook than is healthy," Ceylan said,
trying to defend his beloved father's honor.
"Lan," Shinlu warned before Ceylan could go any further to suggest the
full extent of Lainur's military might.
Barbaros laughed again, his face still twisted with the intense greed of a
seafarer. "Say whatever you want! Doesn't change the fact that it'll all be
mine in the end. You, your children, Craib, the state magicians, the ten
monarchs, and Arcus. Granciel will become the most powerful nation in the
world!"
"Barbaros," said Shinlu. "You are like a man with a fine abacus, but no
money to count on it."
"A man of the sea's gotta dream big and let people know, else he loses
the salt in his soul." Barbaros slowly got to his feet. "I'll get outta your hair
now. Make sure the Empire doesn't conquer you before I get my chance."
"Nobody shall be conquering Lainur. Not you, nor the Empire."
"Nice to hear you're confident. Makes things more interestin'."
"If you don't keep your sights straight, your ship'll sink. And I might
have something to do with that."
"What then? You gonna make me into your personal captain?"
"No. Lan will have you."
Barbaros rolled his eyes and sighed. "Don't you think it's about time you
stop dotin' on the kid?"
"Quiet. I thought you said you were leaving? Go and play with your
abacus on Zeilner's throne." Shinlu snapped.
Barbaros merely smiled. He turned and left the Firefly Garden behind.
His boisterous laugh could be heard through the entire castle as he went.
"Father." Ceylan spoke up once the walking tempest had gone.
"Remember him, Lan. Barbaros zan Grandon. If there's one enemy more
troublesome than the Empire, it's him."
"I shall keep it in mind," Ceylan replied, even now glaring at the spot the
captain disappeared from.
The captured spies were turned over to some guards that Sue called,
putting an end to the ordeal. How to deal with them would be up to the
authorities and those above them. As far as Arcus was concerned, he avoided
the leak of anything relating to the aethometer, and that was enough for him.
.He had no need to worry about the matter further, nor to hope for things to go
well. Not that he had the time to worry anyway, since in his absence his
paperwork had bred explosively.
Having finished his work for now, Arcus's eyes were drawn to an object
on his desk: a steel lantern, just like the one Gown carried. The elf had left it
here when he visited after the incident.
"This is to say thanks for your help!"
"What is it?"
"It's my lantern! If you open this part here when the light is burning, you
can call on my pack! You should call them if you ever get in trouble! They'll
help you out!"
"Huh..."
Gown's pack, otherwise known as the Phantom Pack, was a team of
hunting dogs who could chase down anything, given Gown's consent. Arcus
had seen them when they were chasing down the spies.
"Isn't this a bit too—"
"I'm really proud of my hunting dogs!" Gown said, standing up a little
straighter.
The pack's purpose was to help the elf carry out his duties in the world.
What was Arcus supposed to do with them? He couldn't even begin to
imagine.
"Uh... What kind of trouble will they help me with?" Arcus asked.
"You don't have to think too hard about it! Just call them when you need
some help, or if you think you're in danger!"
"And why did you give me this thing exactly? Wait, don't tell me..."
"Because you're Arcus! And this isn't just for you, y'know!"
"Huh?"
"I already told you, right? The time when phantoms and elves helped to
solve problems is long over!"
Which was why humans needed to solve their own problems from now
on. Gown had clearly been steering towards something.
"You've given this to someone who you think will be able to help solve
problems?"
"That's right!"
Arcus sighed. "I dunno if you picked the right guy. I mean, I barely have
any aether, for a start."
"But you're proof that lots of aether doesn't always mean you're stronger! Remember? You defeated that huge near-fiend!"
"Yeah, because you gave me the aether to do it."
"So all you need is aether, and you can do anything!"
"But I don't have aether! Not much, anyway."
"You can do it!" Gown said.
As usual, their discussion lacked any sort of logical thread.
Gown had turned around to leave, but glanced back over his shoulder and
waved a sleeve at Arcus. "Bye! I'll come by to play again some time, okay?"
"R-Right."
And that was how Arcus made friends (if you could call it a friendship)
with an elf.
Epilogue: Triple Motives
Count Porque Nadar bore the responsibility for Lainur's first line of
defense against Imperial attack. He formerly held territory in the north, but
due to his poor handling of the revolt and misgivings about the way he ran his
domain, he was relocated to Nadar in the west. Nadar bordered the Empire,
and the count was expected to preserve Lainur's diplomatic relations. While
it sounded impressive, the prestige merely sugarcoated the truth.
Should he fail to prevent a war, his territory would be the first to suffer. It
was supposed to motivate him to do all he could to avoid that outcome, but
all it really did was make him anxious. He had developed passable diplomatic
skills, but little else had changed for the better since his relocation.
A few days past, a report had filtered up to him that sent him into a spiral
of anger and panic that had yet to subside. The crown prince, Ceylan
Crosellode, was coming for inspection. The moment he heard the news, his
face drained of color. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this.
If the crown had a complaint, it would usually send an official to the
territory to investigate first; here, one of the most powerful people in the land
threw that precedent out the window. It defied all logic.
Porque's mind was whirring at full speed.
Has he learned of my corruption?
He can't have. He would have summoned me to the palace—in chains, if
it suited him.
Is he visiting to look for proof, then?
What's going to happen?
Is he actually coming?
What will happen once he's gone?
Porque's thoughts blurred together and numbed his mind. At the same
time, his pace picked up as he approached the drawing room. Though his
servants called from behind him, he barely heard them.
"...wait..."
"...documents..."
They tried to keep up with him, but he didn't have the wherewithal to even acknowledge their existence. He was keeping his guest and co-
conspirator waiting. Porque stepped into the drawing room to find a man
sitting on the couch. He looked to be in his mid-forties. Two of his attendants
stood behind that fine leather couch, while he sat with his legs folded,
smoking a cigarette in a manner unbefitting of one meeting a high-ranking
noble. He was clearly treating this visit as a right, not as a privilege.
Porque was more than willing to overlook his insolence. Where his
visitor hailed from, the kingdom's noble titles meant nothing. If Porque were
to compare his guest with him, he might well find himself outranked.
His black hair was painstakingly waxed into shape. Despite his
disrespectful demeanor, his face was a picture of honesty. Looking at that
face of his gave the impression that he acted this way because that was how
he was supposed to behave. Which was the case; he was only showing
through his actions that he held a higher position than the master of the
house.
He was dressed in a fashion peculiar to the kingdom. The majority of his
uniform was black. A golden aiguillette lay across his shoulder. He wore star-
and cross-shaped medals on his chest. His uniform was perfect to the smallest
detail—an immaculately tended uniform of an officer of the hostile Gillis
Empire.
The man glanced at Porque, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Count
Porque Nadar. Lovely to see you doing so well."
"Well? I am not doing well at all! I'd prefer if you held off on the jokes,
General Grantz."
"Apologies. I didn't mean to be rude."
Leon Grantz of the Gillis Empire's eastern field army was one general of
many, but he led as many as ten thousand men. Though Leon apologized, he
made no move to bow his head. His was an air of complete relaxation—and it
upset Porque greatly.
Leon held out his hand and asked, as though this was his estate, "Why
don't you have a seat?"
"Of course," Porque replied meekly, despite taking exception to the dig
at his pride. He slumped down on the couch.
"You must know why I asked you here if you read my letter."
"The prince is coming for an inspection."
"Yes! What could that little brat be thinking?"
"If he's as clever as they say, he's likely caught on to your malfeasance."
"How could he have?! I covered all my tracks! Even the Surveillance
Office's spies wouldn't have a clue!"
"That's true."
As far as Leon had investigated, there were no signs of suspicion from
the Surveillance Office or the wider government. Porque was always careful
to make sure he wasn't suspected, and the moment he thought he might be,
he always bribed the necessary parties. Leon could only admire him for that.
"You've taken good care of the officials, but the common people are a
different matter."
"What?"
"Our investigations revealed holes in your defenses. Don't you know that
merchants on the street like to talk?"
"Those rats!" Porque spat.
Leon smirked. "It's perfect, isn't it? Think about the timing of it all."
"The timing..." Porque frowned and turned his attention to the documents
Leon sent him before their meeting.
Those documents laid out a plan for Porque's future, and came directly
from the Empire. The plan was a tricky one. As a noble of Lainur, it had the
power to completely destroy him should things go wrong. However, it was
fast becoming apparent that Porque had no choice but to follow through.
"And this plan guarantees me a worthy position in the Empire?" Porque
demanded.
The words out of his mouth never showed more than concern for his own
interests and self-preservation. Leon was fed up with it. Porque Nadar. A
portly man with a weak will, prone to irritation and disproportionate reaction.
Even now he fidgeted and bit at his nails restlessly. This was how he always
ended up the second something didn't go his way. Leon watched him with a
cold gaze.
"General Grantz!"
"There is no doubt about it. His Imperial Majesty already knows about
your situation."
"And I'm just supposed to take your word for it?! I need solid proof!"
"There is none. Perhaps I could furnish you with documents, but there's
no way to prove their validity."
"I am doing more than committing treason here! I'm throwing away my
territory and my title!"
Leon suppressed a sigh. Why was this man so unreasonable? Didn't he realize this was a potential consequence of his actions all along? He had
nothing to blame for this but his own avarice.
"You have no obligation to follow the plan if you don't wish to.
However, I don't think you have a choice but to trust us here, do you?"
"Gngh..."
"If your crimes are discovered, you'll lose everything anyway—
including your life. You've thrown yourself at our mercy precisely because
you don't want that to happen. Am I right?"
The fact that Leon was here now was a sign that Porque had no options
left. The prince was sharp. The moment he set foot in this place, Porque's
crimes were guaranteed exposure. The only path that didn't lead to death was
to betray the crown and side with the Empire.
"Tell me what I have to do next."
"There's no rush. We were always prepared for this outcome. In fact, the
prince's personal involvement is a blessing in disguise. All you need to do is
follow the plan as we discussed at the very start."
"Very well. I trust you will take care of everything else?"
"Of course."
The moment Porque left the room, Leon let out the exhausted sigh he
was holding back. He lived his whole life according to honest, steadfast
values, and he considered Porque to be nothing more than a lazy, greedy
swine. Beyond his dabbling in illicit relations with the Empire, he'd lined his
pockets by quietly overlooking embargoes on the trade of certain goods, in a
clear betrayal of Lainur's royal family. Now that his crimes were about to be
exposed, he clung to the Empire, completely forgetting all his own country
had done for him. At the first sign of danger, he no longer cared how his
actions looked to other people. You would be hard pressed to find a more
perfect example of a corrupt nobleman.
Somehow, he still had an overdeveloped sense of pride. Even if he tried
to hide it, it was clear how dissatisfied he was with the uncertainties of the
plan as Leon spoke to him. It was all Leon could do not to burst out in
laughter.
For a while, Leon sat and let the smoke from his cigarette clear his head.
He disliked speaking with the greasy pig so much, he needed some time to
recover. Once he finished his cigarette, he turned to one corner of the
drawing room. At first glance, that spot was empty, but the next second, a
floating white mask appeared. Next came the figure's dark-blue robe,appearing as though dissolving the darkness around it. While Leon's
attendants stiffened up at the newcomer, Leon himself remained perfectly
calm. The masked figure sat down across from him.
Leon pushed his cigarette into the ashtray and raised an eyebrow. "Aluas.
How was that?"
"You did well. This is more than enough in exchange for my Three-
Walled Altar," a young woman's voice declared from beneath the mask. Her
voice placed her in her twenties, if not her late teens.
Behind the scenes, the conversation between Porque and Leon had never
been about the deal they'd struck, nor the agreement between Leon and
Aluas, but a deal between the Empire and Aluas's organization. In exchange
for a new kind of defensive spell, Porque Nadar was to betray Lainur.
"What exactly is your intention with all of this?" Leon asked. "Why do
you want to destroy this particular noble? It sounds to me like you mean to
start a war."
"There's no need for me to tell you, General Leon Grantz. This is a deal
between us and His Imperial Majesty."
"But—"
"You cannot comprehend it, can you? Not as a general...nor as an
individual."
"Of course not."
Aluas's organization was not a hostile country, nor a competing noble
house, so why should they desire to see Porque fall? Something didn't add
up, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
"General Grantz. As a member of the military, surely you know to follow
the orders of your superiors?"
Leon made a noncommittal grunt. As an honest man, he had no answer.
A soldier was a single cogwheel in a bigger picture. If that cogwheel moved
by itself, the entire structure would collapse. The Emperor had already
decided on this matter, so whether Leon found out the meaning behind it or
not, his course of action would not change.
"This is advantageous to the Empire too," he said, "is it not?"
Leon could hear the faint smile behind her mask.
"Well..."
She was correct. There were more and more reports of Lainur's magic
troops' meteoric rise in power. Said reports remained unconfirmed, and if
they were true, it was ambiguous how dramatic the change really was.
Whether the rumors were true or not, the Empire would want the kingdom's
newfound strength for itself somehow. That was why Aluas's appearance
could be considered very fortunate indeed.
If the plan worked, the Empire could avoid war with Lainur, learn the
information it needed, and carry on as though nothing had happened.
"As long as you understand, I don't see why you would have any
objections."
"I understand, yes."
A rise in the quality of Lainur's magicians was a threat to the Empire.
Their magic was already strong enough as it was, and this new development
could only mean trouble for the Empire's plans to extend its territory out to
the south. The Empire was already struggling to bring its own magicians to
the kingdom's standards. The molehill that was Lainur's magic troops was
fast becoming a mountain. The only option was to find out what was really
going on.
"Have you got any new information, Aluas?"
"We are still looking into it, but it is almost certain it has something to do
with their increased silver consumption."
"I thought so."
The kingdom's consumption of silver gradually started increasing around
the same time the rumors began to circulate. Porque was the Empire's probe
into the matter, and now things were coming to a head.
"Let us sacrifice Porque Nadar."
That was what Aluas had said before the count was even involved. The
memory of those words sent a chill down Leon's spine even now. An elegant
laugh chimed through the drawing room like a silver bell. It was a sound
most unbefitting of someone planning the downfall of an otherwise
unconcerned party. The disconnect made it sound even eerier.
Aluas stood up from her seat and melted away into the darkness of the
room's corner once more.
"The Silver Heralds of the Dawn, huh?" Leon murmured, sending a puff
of smoke up towards the ceiling.