Chapter 34
“Don’t pin this on us! Dietrich was pushed and killed by my brother! Even the late emperor knew my brother craved the throne from the start! And yet Dietrich—the foolishly kind boy—was the first to step forward before the late emperor to demand our safety and our rights! And then my brother ruined everything! If my brother hadn’t provoked the late emperor, Dietrich wouldn’t have returned as a corpse!”
At Marapines’s words, Emperor Mertius’s face contorted.
“Your Majesty, I only swore loyalty to you because Dietrich is dead. I could not bear to see you and my father suffer because of me!”
Ludekias spoke as if he might cry, but Marapines replied in a hard tone.
“Aris, leave this coward to me. Don’t answer his nonsense.”
The emperor kicked Marapines. Seeing that, Ludekias took a step forward, but Marapines signaled with his eyes for him not to come closer.
“Very well. Then, as you said earlier—do you think your son’s life is worth preserving even if he has to commit that filthy deed?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“No answer is necessary, actually. With Ludekias’s power, it would be possible—just as the Frost Goddess’s whisper foretold—to bring about the end of the world. I saw that absurd ability with my own eyes.”
“That doesn’t mean it referred to Ludekias.”
“Do you know why the Frost Order is so sure the goddess’s whisper points to Ludekias?”
The emperor leaned down and whispered directly into Marapines’s ear.
“That whisper came down on the day Ludekias was born—Tena Year 2989, March 12.”
“It’s a coincidence.”
“There are no coincidences in the goddess’s word.”
“But Your Majesty, I don’t care for prophecies—I just want to live in peace! Isn’t that why I swore my loyalty to you?”
Even as Ludekias protested, the emperor did not flinch.
“For the last three years I watched you and became certain. If I leave you as you are, something terrible will happen in one form or another.”
Ludekias did not believe that. If, as the emperor said, he really were such an extraordinary being that he could bring about the end of the world, he would not be sitting here now feeling helpless.
“Mertius, Your Majesty.”
With a trembling voice Ludekias asked one last question.
“Have you ever considered me family?”
Instead of answering Ludekias’s question, the emperor issued a cold command.
“Kill Ludekias here.”
At that moment Marapines, who had been sprawled on the floor, summoned all his strength, stood up, overpowered the knight standing right by the emperor, wrested his sword away, and put the blade to the emperor’s throat.
“Aris—run!”
Every sword that had been aimed at Ludekias now pointed at Marapines’s neck.
“Father!”
“You can run on your own.”
But as the emperor said, Ludekias would not simply abandon his father and flee. The emperor knew him well.
“Marapines. Don’t you know your son that well? Didn’t you realize why I brought you here?”
“No—I know him well. If you want to make me a hostage, that’s unfortunate for you.”
At that moment Ludekias read the look in Marapines’s eyes and realized what he was about to do.
“I would, even before the Frost Goddess herself, dare to claim that my son’s life is worth protecting.”
“Father—!”
Before Ludekias’s cry could finish, the sword in Marapines’s hand plunged into his own chest. Blood spurted from his heart.
Yes. Marapines knew Ludekias well. Once the hostage no longer existed, Ludekias would no longer hesitate. And Ludekias couldn’t betray the words that had become his father’s last wish.
The demon-sword resonated to the beat of Ludekias’s pounding heart. Without him realizing it, black wings burst forth and the body’s magic swelled as if it were going to explode. At that instant, someone whispered into Ludekias’s ear.
“Hey, boy. Your comrades will answer to your will.”
So listen to the voice inside you. What do you truly want?
Aris jolted awake from a start and realized he’d been dreaming. Beads of cold sweat had formed on his forehead. Habitively, he groped for his sword. Instead of the blade, his fingers brushed the duvet — then he remembered belatedly that he was in a sleeper compartment on a continental express train.
He drew the sword he’d propped up beside his head close to him and breathed hard for a long while, clutching it like a drowning man clings to a lone lifeline. After a while his breathing steadied and he stood up, hair mussed, and looked out the window. Early dawn sunlight streamed in.
“We just crossed into the Luard border.”
Ari glanced at the voice and saw Raked across on the bunk above, reading by the dim light of a small lamp with glasses on. Raked was dressed comfortably for lying around the bunk, and had tied a hood over his head to hide the dragon mark on his forehead and his ears, which were longer than a human’s.
“I’ll tell you in advance in case you’re curious.”
Stepping onto homeland soil and dreaming of five-year-old memories—Aris felt unsettled despite not believing in superstitions. He rubbed his eyes and stood. He did not want to fall back asleep in this state.
“What about the others?”
Paulo and Sio’s bunks were empty.
“They’re on watch and went next car to get breakfast. You’re the only one who slept comfortably.”
He felt wronged to be told that they’d slept well when he’d just had a nightmare.
“If we just crossed the border, we still have over a day to go. Might as well sleep and kill time.”
“As I remember it, after leaving Roxan, we did nothing but sleep for three days until getting here.”
“We’ll need energy for the hardships ahead, so we’re conserving it now.”
“You don’t let up even one bit, do you?”
“Should I lose?”
Raked made a face that looked like he wanted to pummel Aris. No matter how much Mirea got in trouble, she at least shut up in front of Raked—but this guy was completely fearless.
Even if they acted together, Aris wasn’t a member of Rashvallen and had no reason to obey the internal chain of command among the association’s agents. He wasn’t someone who took orders without question. Raked took a breath and resolved to be as lenient as possible so long as Aris cooperated.
“I’ll go get breakfast too.”
Aris, who’d already buckled his sword to his waist and was putting on a boot he’d thrown aside, heard Raked glance back at his book and say:
“Bring me some bread and tea on your way. Plain white bread and black tea will do.”
Aris paused, muttering to himself.
“You say I sleep all day, yet you’re the one who won’t move.”
His mutter was loud enough that Raked finally hurled the book at him.
“I’m old, my joints don’t like walking back and forth, alright?!”
Aris shut the cabin door quickly so that the book hit the floor instead of him.
“Ha! Someone worse than Mirea Janeister has shown up!”
Raked used magic to tug the fallen book back to himself and ground his teeth.
“Who else but me is there to keep this madman in check? Even Sephiros couldn’t handle him. I’m going to be more than a temporary companion, aren’t I?!”
No matter the curses Raked hurled at him, Aris strolled leisurely to the next carriage. Familiar faces that he’d grown used to over the last few days had already taken seats and waved cheerfully.
Meanwhile, Mirea had finished washing her face and, bright-eyed and fully alert, muttered to her reflection in the mirror.
“All right. We’ve entered Luard; from now on we really need to concentrate. Your role is important, Mirea Janeister!”
She lightly tapped both cheeks. Her real worry was for Laila and Rivielo.
This was the longest long-term mission she had ever taken. It wasn’t that she was nervous because of that alone, but she worried that Laila and Rivielo—ordinary in stamina and inexperienced with such things—would hold up for a three-month journey. In particular, she knew Rivielo had never experienced such a long trip before.
The journey from Serokin’s Roxan to Luard’s Klein was inevitably tedious. First they had to go from Roxan to Serokin’s capital Dilda, and there transfer to the continental express. Serokin, on the east edge of the Roamena continent, to Luard in the northwest — by train it took not hours but days.
Moreover, the expedition’s first destination was the mountain range at the far northwest corner of Klein, the most distant among the fifteen candidate sites for installing the magical apparatus. Because it was the most remote and rugged place, it was also the easiest spot to avoid the emperor’s scrutiny.
Before departure someone suggested using Warp Gate magic. But Warp Gate was normally used to send guiding coordinates as a secondary magic at the target site. Otherwise, warping such a long distance at once risked dropping you far from the intended landing. If Aris or Raked were alone, it might have been worth the risk, but they couldn’t expose the others to that danger.
