Chapter 49 - 4-13
Winter is harsh on the elderly. Lian worried that old man Gilmond might not survive this winter.
For the time being, that worry proved unfounded.
The man himself seemed determined to recover. He reported that his condition had reached a plateau.
"The number of doctor's house calls is decreasing," said Jeri, who was acting as the lookout. "He might not die."
Information also came from Karla.
The thick-browed servant, Tsugumi, apparently brought up his master's condition every time he met with Karla. He was genuinely worried about his master's health. If his master died, he would have to leave the great city of Malfa and return to the boring countryside of the east. Tsugumi feared that.
"If that happens, he says he'll send only his wife and children back to the country,"
Karla said in a buoyant tone.
Lian's interest was piqued. "And what will he do?"
"He says he'll stay in Malfa City. He told me he'd quit his service at the mansion and start a shop with me."
"What a delusional bastard. He doesn't have that kind of money."
"He'll make the seed money at the gambling dens. We've just started running toward our dreams."
"I wonder if that woman is alright."
When Karla was not around, Lian asked Darzek.
Darzek was a large man with a bearded face. He looked exasperated. "Don't you get it? Karla wants to get Itachi-san's attention. That's why she's acting so unreliable. That woman is a real man-eater. She's been that way since way back."
Lian's cheeks relaxed. "You, you've slept with her, haven't you?"
"Years ago," Darzek scratched his head. "Well, there's no need to worry. She's a woman whose work is reliable."
Lian then turned his attention to another concern: the grandchildren of the Iron Helmet.
There were several, but the blond boy who frequently visited the mansion was Haider Skyner.
Lian dubbed this boy the Prince.
The one the Prince often brought along was the Crow. His real name was Yugis Nekrat.
This Yugis Nekrat was gathering comrades and operating in order to establish something called the Fourth Army. He heard that he had obtained permission from Sedias Thora.
—The Lord hasn't changed.
Lian knew Marquis Delroy Sedias Thora well. Lian had once worked as Sedias's stable boy. The Lord's aim was crystal clear.
First, he would let the youths of the east create this so-called Fourth Army.
But there was no way boys could wage war.
He intended to kindly extend a hand to the children when they were at their wit's end, advance his own troops into the east, and seize it.
Among the central figures of the Fourth Army was a strange little man. Lian gave him the nickname Mouse. His real name was Cloden Danforth.
At night, Mouse would sometimes walk about wearing a long coat. His destination was the detached palace.
—These guys are doing their own thing.
They were up to something.
—What troublesome little boys.
Since his comrades were entirely occupied with Tsugumi, Lian had to handle the investigation of the brats himself. That said, Lian did not want the Prince or the Crow to see his face. He might run into them at Marquis Kraff's mansion. However, Mouse was not a blood relative of Marquis Kraff.
He narrowed his target to Mouse.
There was a possibility they were moving on Marquis Kraff's orders. He couldn't ignore it. If there was a plot, he would sniff it out.
That night, Mouse went out again.
Due to consecutive days of snow in Malfa City, the snow had piled up to the waist. The right to shovel snow was one of the citizens' autonomous rights. Autonomy was another name for freedom, and the citizens eagerly cleared the snow. If anyone neglected it, the lord would gleefully impose a snow-removal tax on all citizens. Even if that tax were paid, there was no guarantee the authorities would do the clearing.
The path Lian followed was narrow enough for only one person to pass, but it had been cleared by the citizens. Protecting their own streets by themselves, without anyone's orders, was autonomy, and thus, freedom.
Lian carried no light. Because of the snow-light, he could easily make use of his night vision. Mouse also carried no lighting.
On a night with a white, bottom-lit glow, on a narrow single path, in a foreign land. Most life had ceased its activity, trying to survive the winter. Because the sounds made by living creatures had vanished, it felt as if he could hear the breathing of non-living things, like the stars or the stone walls, which were normally never audible.
In that darkness, Mouse and he were walking the same path as enemies.
Lian had fallen into a meditative mood. At his age, in a place like this, at this hour, sniffing around after someone else's backside. It was comical. It was also mystical. Lian was a man with no substance. Tonight, the cold air seemed to creep into that void, freezing his empty self.
Because he was immersed in thought, he let his guard down.
Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him. Lian put his hand in his breast pocket and gripped the hilt of his dagger. It was likely not just a passerby. He had been cut off from behind on a narrow road. If Mouse turned back, Lian would be sandwiched. He would have no choice but to slash through either the front or the back to open a bloody path.
Mouse's back receded, and the presence behind him drew closer and closer.
He slowed his walking pace and waited for the person behind him to arrive. Then, a mound of snow in front of him split. There were small hills created by piling up the shoveled snow. One of them collapsed unnaturally, and a snow-covered man leaped out from within.
The man who appeared by splitting the snow mound held a sword ready.
The tip was pointed steadily at Lian's chest. If he stepped forward with single-mindedness and delivered one thrust, there was a high possibility he could certainly finish Lian. However, if it were dodged, he could be dealt with easily by a single dagger. One could not step forward without courage. Looking at the eyes peering from the snow-covered bangs, Lian tried to gauge the extent of the opponent's resolve.
—This guy is the Crow.
Lian took his hand out of his pocket and showed his palm to the opponent.
He had not surrendered. Two or three plans to escape from this spot flashed through his mind.
"I would like to hear a bit of your story,"
the Crow said, grinding his teeth.
Lian looked behind him. The Prince had drawn his sword.
"It must be cold, Nekrat-san. There are still taverns open. Why don't we move to another location?"
Lian said. If he wanted to flee, he could. But he shouldn't flee. His intuition was working strongly.
—It's not old man Gilmond.
The ones he should be wary of...
—Are these guys.
A few minutes' walk away, there was a drinking house. There were few customers. Lian and the boys took a table near the fireplace.
The Crow took off one fur coat, then two, then three. He was wearing coats underneath those as well. He hung the removed coats on the back of the chair and moved the chair to a position where the heat of the fireplace reached. He seemed to be drying them.
As for the Prince, he ordered alcohol from the shop owner across the counter. While waiting for the drink, the Prince cast a cautious gaze toward the window. There were two pairs of middle-aged customers.
Lian was thinking. It would not be a good strategy to antagonize these boys and their so-called Fourth Army. They should be able to share a sense of crisis regarding the Kosa people. However, Gilma Rigardie wanted to handle that with the west taking the lead. On this point, he would clash with the boys.
—But, they are young.
He felt they were promising.
Above all, he liked the military tactic of lying in ambush in the snow.
Flexible thinking was characteristic of youth. If educated, they could be made allies. They could be utilized.
"An acquaintance of mine says they are being watched by someone," the Crow said flatly after taking his seat. "Apparently, it's you. Why are you tailing my acquaintance?"
"What should I call you?"
"Yugis."
"Yugis-san. To answer that question quickly, it's because I was interested. Your friend, Mr. Cloden Danforth, frequents some strange places."
"Not that strange."
"Is it because he has a fiancée? It doesn't seem to be that kind of romantic story. I can tell just by looking at your faces. Haider-san, may I call you that?"
Haider Skyner brought the drinks and lined them up on the table. "And what shall we call you?"
"My name exists, but it's as good as non-existent."
"You can't just be nameless," Yugis said. "Since we're trying to have a discussion."
"Are you going to preach the way of humanity to me? I'm not such a high-and-mighty person. If you tell me Mr. Danforth's objective, I'll tell you mine. How about that?"
"If you reveal your objective first," Haider said and took his seat.
This one is clever, Lian thought.
"I wonder," Yugis seemed dissatisfied. "I want to know a bit more about you. I want to proceed with the conversation from there. Since we've suffered the cold, you'll have to entertain us a little."
This one is slightly dim-witted and quite hard to hate.
"My name is Lian Belghiyo. I had parents, you know, I did too. They gave me that name. I was asked to do a job by a certain Eber person. You lot happen to interfere with that job a bit."
"Which means—" Overlapping Haider's words,
"How much?" Yugis said. "How much were you paid to take it on?"
"No matter how much is piled up, I won't defect," Lian answered.
"If it's not money, then what is it? We have almost nothing, but there are things we can bestow upon you."
"For example?"
"A great cause, for instance."
"Keep such things to yourself instead of bestowing them."
"You'll likely need it soon," Yugis said and crossed his arms.
—What is this guy?
Lian was confused for a moment, but he didn't let it show on his face.
"Does it clash with our objective?" Haider Skyner said. "We are Laicanel Thora."
"That's good," Lian showed a smile. "It seems we can get along."
Haider. This one is good. Easy to talk to. What's good is that he makes assumptions about Lian. If the opponent makes assumptions about him, he can determine a policy for how to behave.
Haider thinks Lian's target is someone in the detached palace.
The Prince is not a fool. He knows that revealing the objective first is not a bad choice. Because it can lure out the opponent's words. However, that only works if one is in a superior position. The boys believe that they have secured Lian's person with their swords. That they are superior by the margin of two swords. It is an illusion. There are traps that only the clever fall into.
"It seems I can talk with you, Haider-san. If I find out anything about the heir of the Thora family, I'll let you know."
Lian smiled at the Prince.
Yugis Nekrat snorted displeasurably. "You should reveal your employer, the amount generated, and the objective."
"I can't deal with children," Lian said bluntly. "Haider-san, when you want to get in touch—"
Lian did not miss the slight movement of Yugis and Haider's arms. He immediately turned both palms toward them. "Wait a moment!"
He restrained them with a loud voice.
The boys' movements stopped.
They seemed to have received a fair amount of training. They had likely decided that if Lian dodged the question about his objective, they would force it out of him even by resorting to physical strength. If one underestimates them, they'll have a painful experience.
—Should I tell the truth?
Lian thought half-mischievously.
The other half was a judgment looking toward the future. Rather than lying and losing trust, it was better to tell the truth and be hated. There is a future in that.
"I'll tell you, my objective,"
Lian said.
There was no light in Yugis's eyes. He was likely reading Lian's breathing.
"My objective is your grandfather, Marquis Kraff Laiel Gilmond."
Without using his hands at all, Lian stood up by hooking his feet around the legs of the chair. With the spring from the extension of his knees, the chair he had been sitting in flew into the air. There are such acrobatic performances. Taking advantage of the moment the boys were taken aback, he ran toward the counter seats. He leaped over the counter and aimed for the back exit. If Mouse was hiding and waiting, it would likely be at the front entrance—this was a gamble.
The snow piled in the north sank under its own weight as the temperature rose, and as if unable to withstand that weight, it turned transparent and flowed from the lowest layer.
Tsugumi began to chirp in a sad tone, becoming a crybaby man. He was completely finished. Karla's skill was almost artistic.
Spring was about to arrive.
Laiel Gilmond's willpower seemed to have repeated a cycle of advance and retreat.
But the time had come.
The arrival of the time of death was conveyed to the people of the mansion as if through the air.
With an absurd level of speed, a coffin was carried into the mansion. Lurking inside the coffin was Lian, dressed in the attire of a confessor.
The thick-browed servant, Tsugumi, opened the coffin lid and guided Lian to Laiel Gilmond's bedroom.
Lian looked out the window in the hallway he passed through. Yugis and Haider were pretending to be guards in front of the gate.
In the hall, Urgil Nekrat with a black mustache and Marquis Ganlord Paishal Anavis, acting like a big shot, were chatting, surrounded by young nobles. Count Gilma Rigardie was also there, a short distance away. Lian immediately lowered his face.
Tsugumi urged Lian forward with a quick pace.
Tsugumi stood in the way in front of the bedroom door and stared at Lian. His eyes were bloodshot. "With this, the debt is really—"
Lian nodded with a smile.
The bedroom was overflowing with women. He didn't know what their relationship with the Marquis was. A young girl, a young woman, a woman in her prime, a lady who seemed to be a wife, an elderly noblewoman. They were all uniformly grieving.
"Confessor Belghiyo-shi has arrived,"
Tsugumi said in a tragic, mournful voice. The ladies stood up without a sound and left the room one by one.
The gaunt old man, clung to by death, turned his gaze as if he couldn't even bear the weight of his eyelids. It was a look of seeing something vague. Waiting for Tsugumi to leave the room, Lian placed one of the several chairs by the bedside and sat down.
"I have come on a special assignment from Bishop Kabel Kofie of Siddim. Confess."
Lian took a bell from his pocket and rang it with a chirin.
He closed his eyes lightly.
For a long time, the old man remained silent.
"Kofie..." he eventually said in a raspy voice. "Did he tell you everything?"
"I have been entrusted."
"What did the Bishop of Siddim tell you?"
"Everything. Confess. Unless you obtain forgiveness, the gates of heaven shall not open."
Lian rang the bell once more.
"It is as you have heard. However, I was opposed from start to finish."
"You must confess from your own mouth," Lian opened his closed eyes. From outside the door, the voice of a young man making a commotion could be heard. "All secrets will be kept."
"It was at the occasion of His Majesty's wedding—"
The old man began to speak.
Lian closed his eyes and listened to everything.
Halfway through, he almost let out a voice in surprise.
Laiel Gilmond's voice was tearful. He emphasized that he had been deceived, that he had been manipulated. He was far too pitiful. Since he was treating old man Gilmond as one who needed a confessor, Lian had completely become a confessor.
"The cavalry of Kosa... they are coming. We called them. We did. We reached out to them. O people. O youths. Forgive me, be forgiven. They are coming, they are coming."
"The sacrament of contrition is now given. You are forgiven by the Tenshu. Be with the Tenshu."
Lian stood up.
The sound of the door being violently pounded was echoing louder than before.
He did not go to the door.
There was a window.
He looked back at Laiel Gilmond once. The old man had closed his eyes. Lian opened the window. He descended from the window to the outside of the mansion.
In the shadow of the garden trees, he cast off the confessor's clothes and climbed the wall with his specialty acrobatics. Once he descended to the road, he did nothing but run. Once he started running, Lian was not one to be caught up to.
It was past midnight when he visited the hideout.
He distributed money to the comrades who had been holding their breath.
"Is it over?" Only Jeri protested.
"There's extra money in there. Listen well. If necessary, use this money to leave this city."
Sigh.
Karla let out a sigh. "What if I want to get in touch with Itachi-san?"
"Svenna's shop. If something happens that's beyond your control, tell me immediately. I'll rush over. However, I won't be in this country forever."
The funeral of Marquis Kraff Laiel Gilmond ended. The investiture ceremony of Brai Gilmond also ended. The Kraff territory is inherited by the eldest son.
The red-haired Chancellor Gilma Rigardie spoke to Sedias Thora. It was an invitation to a meal.
He decided to rent a room at the Batrov family mansion. Gilma, who did not own a mansion, often borrowed the dining rooms of other families to hold events. The Batrov family was the maiden home of Queen Yumeria, and the head, Edort, and Gilma were intimate friends.
Bringing along cooks and preparing ingredients himself, he entered the Batrov residence. He took command in the kitchen and waited with everything in order. Marquis Delroy did not come. He had also waited for the head, Edort, for the sake of greetings, but Edort eventually retreated to his bedroom. Gilma waited while rubbing his sharp eagle nose.
It was around midnight when he decided that he had likely been stood up.
Just before he was about to announce he was leaving, surprisingly, Sedias Thora arrived.
Looking exhausted, he entered the residence with his head down.
Gilma peered outside through the gap in the bamboo-like covering of the hall window. No carriage was in sight; he seemed to have come on foot. He hadn't brought any attendants.
Gilma welcomed the Supreme Commander of the Royal Army with a smile. Sedias had a complexion like a dead person. His eyes were vacant, and he wasn't looking at Gilma. Or rather, he probably couldn't see anything.
He guided him to a private room. He ordered an attendant to first prepare alcohol.
"Let us drink."
Once they were alone, Gilma raised his cup. Sedias Thora gulped down the alcohol with both hands, which seemed frozen. His hair was disheveled, and the tips of his hair were trembling finely.
"Lately, everyone has a terrible complexion."
The Supreme Commander answered blankly.
This man, when exposed to attack, becomes calmer on the contrary. Gilma made a small complaint, intending to cheer him up.
"And here I was, having gone to the trouble of preparing food and waiting. Not even a word of apology? For someone who blusters so much, you have a pathetic side. Especially tonight—"
Sedias glared at Gilma with eyes like a wounded beast.
"I was talking with my son, so I was late."
"Laicanel? What were you talking about?"
"None of your business."
"I wonder. You'll probably come crying to me eventually, won't you? It would be better to confess early."
"Why here?"
Sedias looked around the room. His tone was lamenting. "Why did you choose this mansion?"
"It's close to your mansion. Besides, Edort and I are on friendly terms."
"Is that all?"
"What else?"
Gilma observed Marquis Delroy's angular face.
Sedias Thora sighed and raised his face. Light had returned to his pupils. "I'll listen to the story. Or shall we eat first?"
Though his sense of suspicion deepened, Gilma called the server. He had the dinner brought in.
"Tonight, I wanted to see you look pleased," Gilma said. This was a convenience.
What he was about to speak of was a grave matter. He needed to appease the Thora family and align their steps.
Gilma intended to speak of the information Lian Belghiyo had grasped.
Marquis Kraff Laiel Gilmond.
Marquis Ganlord Paishal Anavis.
Count Carossa Urgil Nekrat.
There had been a conspiracy among these three.
Lian said that the main culprits who instigated the Kosa people and led them toward unity were these three. Laiel Gilmond had confessed this just before he died. Old man Gilmond hadn't said it clearly, but perhaps Bishop Kabel Kofie of Siddim was added to this.
'What is the evidence? Physical evidence.'
Gilma had pressed him as if he were about to pounce. Lian shook his head.
There probably wasn't any such thing, and even if there were, he had no intention of searching for it.
That is what he had been told flatly.
'Why?'
'I cannot trust the Lord of the Thora family. He is an enemy of Eber.'
'You received money, didn't you?'
'I did the amount's worth. From now on, I will work for the great cause. There was someone who treated me as that kind of man, you see.'
He told Sedias Thora the summary of Lian's report.
The hegemon of Siddim made a dramatic expression. He raised the corners of his eyebrows and opened his mouth in a circle. With that expression, his pupils moved incessantly.
"Splendid, Chancellor!"
"Not really. It's not certain information."
"It's Gilmond, you know? He's not the type to lie to a confessor!"
—Something is wrong.
Gilma thought. He was too happy.
Sedias laughed loudly with a dry voice.
"I see, I see. Those fellows really messed up."
It seemed he couldn't stop laughing. He was laughing with tears blurring his eyes.
"Those fellows, tripping up on their own."
"Do you understand? Because of their treason, Siddim is in crisis right now, you know? Moreover, we're in a situation where there's no evidence to pursue it."
"Let's just kidnap Urgil Nekrat. Confine him and interrogate him harshly. If we get a confession, there's no problem."
"No. It is the rule that church officials must be present for torture. Can you afford to make the Bishop of Siddim your enemy?"
He said it intending to throw cold water on him, but Sedias did not stop his smirking laugh.
"Even if I say kidnap, it's not an official arrest. Besides, the church only sees off the dead. They can't bring them back to life. More than that, Gilma, what is that?"
Marquis Delroy had said. He had placed a map on the dining table, intending to show it to Sedias. It was a layout map of the forts under construction that Lian had made while traveling the east.
Without saying that it was something Lian had hidden in his underwear, he handed over the piece of paper.
"This is the layout of the newly built forts that a spy investigated in the east. It differs slightly from the report."
"Isn't that outrageous?"
"No. Since they are branch forts. For branch forts, only a notification is needed; no examination is required."
Sedias was staring intently at the map.
After looking at the map for a long time, he eventually spoke. "Gilma, I won't touch the church. However, I will capture Nekrat and Anavis. Let's just kill them. We can just report to His Majesty that they were killed because there was resistance."
"That's not very elegant."
"Do you understand this map?"
"What do you mean? I think the layout is splendid. Honestly, I'm surprised there was someone other than you who could arrange such a posture. Urgil Nekrat and the Fourth Army believe your sweet words and intend to win. This is—"
"I know no statesman more excellent than you. But you're an amateur regarding soldiers. This map is to be viewed like this." Sedias spread the map on the table and thrust the western direction toward Gilma. "Look at it again, imagining yourself as one of the western lords."
Gilma gazed into the map for a long time. Until then, he had evaluated the fort layout starting from the entry route of the Kosa army. He didn't intend to be an amateur as the Marquis suggested. He had knowledge of soldiers. The forts were placed at points that would give the Kosa army trouble.
However, looking at it according to Sedias Thora's advice, the layout revealed a completely different aspect. This was just like—.
"It's a blade, thrust at you."
"If those so-called branch forts are remodeled into real forts, that is."
"I'm surprised; those fellows intend to take the surroundings of Malfa Castle in a complete circle."
The more he looked, the more it seemed like a strange layout. Internally, Gilma broke into a cold sweat.
This was the insight of Sedias Thora, who saw through it at a glance.
Urgil Nekrat's audacity was also shocking once again. He could forgive the inspiration to plot against the Kosa people. But to execute it was madness. The courage to build forts of rebellion in broad daylight, exposing them to the whole world, was also out of the question. There was an extraordinary determination. They intended to wage war.
"Hang the ringleaders in the royal capital, raise troops, and suppress them. That'll do."
That likely meant the measures against the east.
It was the usual Sedias Thora. His complexion was ruddy. Gilma felt suspicion again regarding Marquis Delroy's recovery.
"I think that's a bad way to do it."
"It won't be settled peacefully. Leave it to me."
"In this kind of situation, one must not flee to illegal means. We must hold a trial, discuss properly, and create a precedent, otherwise the same thing will be repeated. A country that does not accumulate such experience will perish."
"And what was achieved with that? Trust laws and whatnot—. Besides, you said there is no evidence. It won't be settled by a trial."
"Don't get too ahead of yourself." Gilma was flustered, unlike his usual self. "You're out of your mind."
"From darkness to darkness. That's fine. You don't need to know anything."
"This isn't like you. What happened—you said earlier that you met your son. What kind of conversation—"
Sedias Thora stood up, his imposing physique towering. While putting on his cloak, he said, "You need me, don't you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'll dance to your tune. So, keep your eyes closed."
Sedias's inference, which made Gilma huff, was likely correct. Gilma Rigardie needed the power to unite the Royal Army. However, the way he put it was unpleasant.
"Siddim won't allow it. There are laws."
"His Majesty will allow it."
He chased Sedias, who had left the private room, to the entrance. "I can't have you looking down on me. I won't let you be recognized as having the right to rape the east."
"If you want a trial, I'll let you have one," Sedias Thora said at the entrance. "However, the ones being judged will be their corpses. Without the backing of my actual strength, you won't even win that trial. At most, make use of the Thora family's power. See ya, Gilma. The food was good."
Damn it!
He cursed in his heart at the back of the departing Supreme Commander of the Royal Army.
Before he knew it, large snowflakes had begun to fall.
—Concentrate power in Sedias Thora and hurl it at Kosa.
That is what he had told Lian. However, this did not mean allowing Sedias's tyranny. Nor did it mean expanding the Thora family's hegemony over all of Siddim. The Royal Army should remain under the supervision of His Majesty and Gilma.
Gilma, wearing the face of a fool, cursed himself.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!