The messenger reached Apta three days later. He had travelled by changing post horses and had even flown by airs.h.i.+p from a nearby relay station. Naturally the news he brought had been sent directly to Prince Gil's private chambers.

As ever however, Gil had received the report from behind his door and he still hadn't left his room.

The troop of reinforcements had been impeded by their own country of Mephius – such were the contents of the message and that news flew around Apta. As the wave of surprise spread, Ineli Mephius gloated to herself. Just as planned, she had been able to fire a shot in retaliation against Prince Gil whose unaccountable actions had recently left everyone astounded.

"Elder Sister, you must be so worried about your native country," she said insincerely to Princess Vileena.

Knowing that the people around her were watching for her reaction, Vileena didn't allow her expression to change. Because s.h.i.+que understood that naturally that stemmed from her sense of duty as royalty, he somewhat forcefully visited Gil's private chambers to stir him to action, but was repelled each time.

As for Orba...

When he heard the message, he had slammed the wall in irritation.

That d.a.m.n Guhl!

Orba's temper flared. The crown prince who in shouldering the burden of Mephius had intended to accomplish his duty by sending the reinforcements was obstructed by the very emperor of Mephius.

Joining hands in an alliance, claiming that the peace is for the sake of the people, but in the end it's just for the sake of his own interests, he really is self-serving in using others.

Such was a statesman, a so-called man of power. Orba loathed their sort.

However as the prince, he couldn't let his anger towards the emperor guide his actions. Instead, it made him look back on past tyrannies he had suffered and only increased his personal hatred towards...o...b..ry.

Is the emperor saying that he won't let his son run loose anymore? It'll be troublesome if he sends a messenger directly to Apta. I can't waste any time. Should I attack Oubary by surprise then disappear? He thought.

The "prince" couldn't leave any trace of his own involvement. In that way, trouble wouldn't fall on other people. He stood still for a long time, gripping his knees. Losing touch with reality, he started to think that this was the best solution.

While Orba was in the middle of strengthening that resolve,

"Your Highness Gil. May I come in?"

Princess Vileena, without going through an intermediary, spoke from directly on the other side of the door.

Orba raised his head with a jerk and for some reason held his breath as though being targeted by an enemy. He could imagine what her business was. It would naturally be about the reinforcements. Because of that, right now, he didn't want to meet with her.

I need to run!

He was probably also aware that when he was confronted with those frank eyes, he wasn't able to put up a front. As much as he hated the imperial family and those in power, Orba was currently identical to them in one of those aspects that he detested, that of giving priority to his own affairs.

Responsibilities.

From the other side of memory, Gowen's words echoed and resounded. From the time he had decided to wear the prince's mask the responsibilities that went with it had weighed on him. However as he was now, Orba was trying to disregard them and run away. Therefore,

Enough. What a joke. What about responsibilities? This originally began when a n.o.ble of Mephius gave me a new mask. For his own ambitions! I'm ending this idiocy. I'll throw the mask away. Enough is enough!

Tightly clenching his fists, Orba was going to continue to ignore Vileena's voice but surprisingly after that the princess didn't say anything and went away from the door.

Feeling deflated, Orba stared at the darkness within his room.

Ke – a sound that wasn't quite laughter escaped from his lips.

Pitiful.

Running away, putting up his guard, only for nothing to happen except his being left behind. It felt like the enveloping darkness had become a mirror and was flaunting the image a tiny, wretched boy.

The choice of attacking Oubary by surprise which, just a short while ago, had been glowing with a dark appeal now seemed utterly pointless and hideously childish.

There's no way. If I throw everything away and only act on my own selfish desires, I really will become just like Oubary and the Mephian emperor.

And more than anything, my feelings won't be settled from simply s.n.a.t.c.hing his life away. Acting as the prince to the end, to find a way so that the soldiers Vileena and I employed won't be harmed while s.n.a.t.c.hing everything away from him...

A strange change was occurring at that time within Orba. Unlike when he had been morbidly thinking of nothing except killing Oubary, now that he had deliberately chosen a more difficult path, Orba's mind was much clearer than before, the many emotions that had been whirling around had come together, and he was able to maintain his concentration as he wracked his brains to elaborate plans that would overcome the various obstacles along his way.

"Your Highness."

Orba lifted his head at the new voice. It wasn't the princess, nor was it a messenger. It was a report from a soldier Orba had previously given direct orders to.

Having his thoughts interrupted was unpleasant and Orba had begun to bluntly turn him away, but -

"Wait," Orba's sharp voice reverberated through the darkness. He opened the door, "What did you say just now?"

The one he was talking to was of the Imperial Guards. When he had previously had them investigate Apta's territory, he had left a number of soldiers in the various villages. Their intelligence gathering had now proved successful.

"Yes. We have located the bandits' hideout. I have come to offer you the report."

These bandits were the ones who has attacked Orba and his group as they were proceeding on their way to Apta. From village rumours and from the locations of actual attacks on caravans of Mephian merchants, they had been able to infer their hideout. Moreover, as among the villagers there were some that regarded them as heroes, they had been able to learn the name of the bandits' leader.

When Orba heard that, he handed out a cash reward, saying, "Right. Distribute this among everyone."

As he closed the door behind him, the expression in his eyes as they traced the darkness had changed. Even though they gave off the same feeling of blazing, the light that shone through them was so coolly calculating as to appear chillingly cold.

I lost everything.

He crossed the room and pulled open the curtains that covered the window, and letting moonlight s.h.i.+ne through the window and bathe the room. Exactly as though he were throwing down a challenge, Orba stood stock still, clenching his fists so strongly that it looked as though blood would start trickling through his fingers at any moment.

So I'll make him lose everything too. His life alone would just be half-hearted. His honour, his future, everything he cares about, everything, I'll drag it down into the blood and the mud.

Those eyes overflowed with a blazing light. As though to avoid a confrontation, the moonlight that had been gently s.h.i.+ning into the room hid behind the clouds and disappeared from sight.

The next morning.

Esmena Bazgan had finished her one-week stay and was about to return home. Ineli, with whom she had deepened her friends.h.i.+p in that time through boating down the river, tea parties and such, came to see her off and Esmena's eyes misted over tearfully as she took her hand.

"Your Imperial Highness. May I hope to meet with you again?"

"Don't be so distant, Elder Sister." Even while she sadly drew her eyebrows together, the smile never left Ineli's face. Unannounced, she had slipped in a promise of sisterhood. "This time, I will be the one to invite you, Elder Sister, to Solon. Relations with Taúlia will surely improve by the day, so that time won't be far off."

"Yes", Esmena nodded in agreement, "I look forward to it."

Having easily been able to receive all the messengers from another country, Ineli's confidence in her own abilities had increased. This was something that was also related to the future. Ineli had no desire for a life in which she would merely become someone's wife and share their fate. Rather that that, she thought that a life in which she could move a country herself according to her own desires would be much more amusing.

There was a stir in the crowd. Natokk, Esmena's appointed bodyguard was instantly taken aback and even Ineli stared wide-eyed.

"Prince," Esmena's cheeks turned red in a flash. Arriving astride a white horse was Gil Mephius. Surprised at this sudden turn of events, she stuttered, "H-Has, your, your health improved?"

"I apologise for making you worry. Moreover, even though you expressly took the trouble of coming here, I was unable to do anything for you."

"N-Not at all", Esmena shook her head so vigorously that she seemed likely to snap her slender neck, "I, Esmena, feel that I have received great kindness from you simply by being able to meet you in this way."

"I am grateful that you should say so." Gil smiled faintly. He dismounted and took a package that had been tied to his saddle, presenting it to Esmena. "This is the proof of Mephius' alliance with your father - no, with Taúlia. I hope that from here on we will have a close a.s.sociation with Taúlia."

"Ye-Yes."

Esmena's feelings were transparent to Ineli as she watched her look dazed and dreamy. At the same time however, her brother who had suddenly appeared didn't understand them at all. As the airs.h.i.+p Esmena was riding on disappeared from sight in the sky, she called out to him with a smile.

"Brother, you seem fully recovered. Could we eat supper together later?"

"No." Gil replied tersely and the smile he had shown earlier was gone.

"Could it be that you are angry? Because I didn't clearly pa.s.s on the emperor's message?"

Since it was something that would sooner or later come out, Ineli did her best to speak innocently. Gil however had already turned his back to her. Furious emotion blazing up within her, she continued,

"Still, as ever your timing in appearing was excellent. Princess Esmena will probably never forget this morning for as long as she lives. By doing as you did, you made everyone worry then in the end came and surprised them; you've loved doing that since a long time ago."

"..."

At that moment, Gil Mephius, or rather Orba, was preoccupied with other things. His head was filled with plans for what to do from then on and he was bored of playing her brother in front of Ineli. And so he made a mistake that he would not normally make.

"Do you remember? It was before Mother became the emperor's consort. I think it was at the time of my twelfth birthday. Although Your Highness had promised to come to the party, you were nowhere to be seen. Everyone was disappointed, especially me. But then when the party was almost over, you suddenly appeared and gave me a magnificent present."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Do you remember what that present was?"

"Who knows. It was a long time ago."

"It was a wine cup made entirely of precious jewels. You said that it was in advance of the day when we would be able to drink together."

"I remember. You're right."

When Orba unthinkingly said that, both sides of Ineli's plump lips suddenly curled upwards.

"Oh", as she hid her mouth behind the back of her hand, Ineli's eyes went round. "I remembered wrongly, Brother. If I'm not mistaken, the one who gave me the jewel wine cup was the son of the previous lord of Kilro. He was so pompous. It seems he lost his life in that recent slave revolt, so let us pray that he finds happiness in the next world. Oh my, but still, it is most strange that you, Brother, had the exact same mistaken memory."

"..."

Orba turned around. Ineli turned her beaming countenance towards him whose face was as expressionless as that of a statue.

"Right, such things sometimes happen. As I intend to understand everything about you Brother, I feel at ease. Recently I also asked Fedom, whom Your Highness has become so close to, about various things. Various things." Ineli clapped her hands together. "Indeed, let us someday go and pray together that that person finds peace in the next world. We could exchange drinks together from the cup I was given. Won't you make time for Ineli?"

Without saying a word, Orba once again turned around and started walking away.

After watching that back for a short time, Ineli who had been stifling her amus.e.m.e.nt couldn't bear it anymore and burst into laughter, clutching her sides.

It's as I thought.

That person was not Gil Mephius. Considering that person's reaction, he probably wasn't the mastermind who had set himself up before the entire country. If, as Ineli supposed, Fedom was taking part in this, then it was a crime so great it could overturn the empire.

Ineli had no interest in things like who that person's real ident.i.ty was, or where the real Gil Mephius was, or even whether or not his life was in danger.

Simply,

I can do what I want with this.

Her eyes gleamed at that single thought.

If Ineli were to expose the crime, she would naturally be a hero. She had however not the slightest intention of immediately broadcasting it to the emperor and his people. She wanted to enjoy for a while more her position of holding a secret that even his fiancée Vileena didn't know.

The toy she so badly wanted was within her reach and Ineli felt that she was now in a higher position than any of those around the prince.

Gil had reappeared after a week's interval, but he gave no answer to Gowen's messenger and said nothing about having kept the fortress waiting. That evening, having watched the airs.h.i.+p training and given some advice, Vileena was going back along the way to her lodging. As she was going along, her expression changed.

Ah!

Gil was coming from the opposite direction.

Somehow or another she should call out to him, since she had been longing for the time when the prince would be able to move of his own accord. Unaware of her thoughts however, Gil pa.s.sed straight by her, his eyes fixed ahead of him.

Vileena was indignant. She had wanted to ask him right away about what he would do regarding the reinforcements to Garbera. And also,

I'll go as reinforcement.

She just barely managed to prevent herself from saying that. The Vileena of old would undoubtedly have flown a s.h.i.+p to go rus.h.i.+ng towards the reinforcements unit, even in the teeth of opposition from her surroundings. The princess of Garbera would also have asked about Mephius' real intentions in they impeding the reinforcements.

But since coming to Mephius, Vileena had learned a lot. She could no longer simple-mindedly believe that things would start moving if she rushed over. Was this what Theresia meant when she talked about becoming an adult? To no longer be able to do anything because of cold reality and an increasing number of masks? And, she realised, all human beings suffered from that interstice with reality.

In that case, the prince also...

Vileena turned her thoughts away from herself.

In the end, although they had been about to pa.s.s each other by without speaking,

"A little more."

Vileena stopped suddenly. A whisper in her ear, then Gil carried on walking.

"Please wait a little more."

Vileena Owell stood still for a long time, continuing to look in the direction he had taken even after he had disappeared from sight.

That evening, Apta Fortress was in uproar.

Gil Mephius had suddenly disappeared.

Orba galloped across hills and valleys, man and horse cutting through the wind.

"Prince, where are we going? Prince!"

Also astride a horse, Bane was the only one to be following him.

Quite some time had pa.s.sed since they had left Apta. Although Bane had several times called out to the prince as they dashed straight into the wind, not once had he turned around.

It had been completely unexpected. Bane had been enjoying himself at the banquet which was still being held every night on the pretext of being a victory celebration, when he was called to the stable by prince Gil Mephius.

"My prince. What is your command?"

"Come with me for a bit”, the prince was already on his horse as he spoke, "I'll show you something good for you."

They had easily galloped out of Apta but as more than an hour had pa.s.sed, Bane was having doubts. Having left Apta like that, where on earth was he planning on going? Besides there had also recently been bandit attacks along the roads to the citadel. No one knew where they would strike again. While on the one hand he was filled with anxiety and doubts, Bane didn't consider that the prince's eccentricity was strange. No matter how bizarre his behaviour might seem at first, it would surely pave the way to achieving results.

This – could he be meaning to set me up for some outstanding achievement?

Since the time they had been on the inspection tour of Apta, the prince had seen him in a different light. Bane couldn't help but hope that the prince was planning some grand strategy in which he himself would be given an important role to play.

Orba meanwhile continued to charge forward without saying a word. A thought flitted through his mind.

My home village?

Since coming to Apta, he had constantly been thinking of going to the place where his native village had been. For a start, it was doubtful whether the village even still existed but even so, he wanted to go. It was simply that that was the land where he, his brother Roan, Alice and also his mother had lived together and he felt that he wanted to smell the nostalgic scent of the wind there.

It wasn't for such a sentimental reason that he now urged his horse to gallop like a gale however. If that had been his only reason, he naturally wouldn't have brought Bane along.

Eventually, they finally arrived at a place that he remembered. Having slowed his horse's steps for a moment, he dismounted at a spot that formed the entrance of a valley. A nearby riverbank stretched out from it and to Orba's left a river flowed. When the height was at its highest, he, his brother and Alice would walk the hour-long distance to go and bathe there. And on the way back, they would feel hot again so on the whole, they barely felt cool at all.

"Come down, Bane."

As the footholds had grown difficult, Orba and the other man led the horses. Carrying a lantern, they walked on. The surrounding area was so deathly quiet as to be eerie. Nervously following the prince, Gowen didn't notice at the time that several human shadows moved along the top of the cliff.

Before long, Orba came to a stop.

When he quickly raised the light anew, something like a fence could be seen at the end of the increasingly narrow path.

As I thought: somebody is here.

Although he tried to calm down, he couldn't help but be feel excited. Orba forcefully dragged his horse along at a half run. The fence that separated the outside world from the inside of the village didn't appear to be decayed. There were also the shadows of houses. The violent pounding of his heart beat loudly in his ears. Maybe someone he knew was there, no, maybe, possibly, even one of the people he had never stopped looking for might be living there like before...

"Prince, where are we?"

Ignoring Bane's question, Orba tied his horse to a slender tree growing near the fence and was about to rush to the other side. "Wait!" He heard a voice from behind him.

"Hii!" Bane screamed.

Several people stood in the dim circle of light cast by the lantern. All of them were armed with swords and guns, and the one at the front was pointing a pistol in their direction. There was no doubt that those figures belonged to the ones who had staged the surprise attack when they had been on the road to Apta.

"Oh ho!" The man spoke somewhat excitedly. "Amazing. This guy's the crown prince of Mephius!"

"What!?"

"Impossible" Another man lit a flaming torch and directed the light towards...o...b... He was the one who had called out to the prince; he nodded, his eyes lit red from the fire. "You're right. I've definitely seen him. More than that, I even fired a gun at him."

There was a stir among the men. In their eyes, there appeared the conflicting lights of both hatred and delight, and all of their lips curled into a smile.

"I don't know on what whim it was but the prince really graced us with his presence of his own accord."

"Come, come. Don't be turning down our hospitality in this unworthy place."

Aiming their guns at him, the men moved towards him in a narrowing circle. Orba didn't make a single move.

"Let go, you curs!" Bane yelled, but with so many people within such a short distance, not matter how fiercely Orba fought to reach him, their chances of survival were slim. In the end, Orba had the sword and gun that were at his waist confiscated and, along with Bane, he was roughly shoved by the shoulder into the village grounds.

On the other side of the fence, he could vaguely make out huts in the twilight. There seemed to be about twenty of them. It looked like all the villagers had left and been replaced.

Orba was pushed into the village square in which a bonfire blazed. That this was the prince of Mephius was pa.s.sed around, and the other side of the fire seemed to be seething with people. The atmosphere reeked of beasts and the air was filled with a murderous bloodl.u.s.t.

"That's the crown prince of Mephius?"

"Kill him!"

"Let's string him up, here and now!"

"Burn him to death. Just like they did to our families!"

In the face of the fact that hands carrying axes and swords could reach at any moment from all directions to tear them to shreds, Bane wasn't even able to raise his voice and remained silent. Orba on the other hand was carefully watching them.

"Hmm, wait."

A well- built man took a step forward. The muscles on his bare arms were prominently on display. With a smirk on his unshaven face, he carried two swords in his hands. He flung one of them at Orba's feet.

"Beat, what are you thinking of doing?"

"Something this b.a.s.t.a.r.d loves. You've watched slaves kill each other, right? Well this is a rare chance for My Lord Prince to experience it for himself."

"Sounds good!"

"Show us, Oh Prince!"

The mingled voices of men and women rose in insistent ovation. While thrusting his sword at him, Beat began to circle around Orba. Every so often, he provocatively took a step forward then back again.

"Come on, take the sword, oh prince." Beat spat a glob of saliva. "Even if you stand there silently, this isn't the imperial court. No one will come and save you."

Orba unhurriedly bent down and picked up the sword. Standing in the centre of a storm of whistling, his eyes tracked Beat's movements.

Flames, the shadows of the crowd, Beat's smile. They spun around and around in turn into Orba's field of vision. Beat took a step forward and made a thrust. Pretending that he had failed to parry, Orba shook violently and staggered to the right.

His right shoulder felt heavy from where his collarbone had been shattered by Zaat's bullet. However receiving that blow made him realize that it had healed considerably.

"How skilful, Prince, how skilful!"

"Beat, don't kill him just yet."

"Let everyone have some fun!"

As though to say that he got it, Beat licked his lips. Swinging his sword with all his might and missing on purpose, he gradually cornered Orba who was dodging around excessively. Amidst the incessant laughter and cheering, Orba's back finally hit the wall of hut.

"There!"

Beat closed the distance between them in a blink, aiming to stab at Orba's shoulder.

"Ah!"

And yelped out almost immediately. His sword went whirling lightly upwards then fell to the ground and the tip of Orba's blade glittered just before Beat's eyes.

Without granting a single moment for surprise, it was...o...b.. this time who offhandedly closed the distance between them and, pinning Beat's arms behind him, brought his sword against his neck.

"Like this?" The bandits had been rendered speechless and Orba gave them a scornful smile. "Useless guys who can't hold out should shut up. But sure, let's continue this game of make-believe. Or don't tell me that he's the strongest you've got?"

The prince's cold gaze and nerves of steel had even Bane staring in wide-eyed amazement, however,

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

"Don't be so full of yourself!"

"There aren't any va.s.sals to change your nappies around here!"

As the people surged in a ma.s.s of hatred and were about to close in, Bane once again fell on his backside.

Swords, spears and the nozzles of several guns were aimed determinedly at Orba.

"Release Beat!"

"If you don't, then we'll kill you in the worst possible way!"

Still using Beat as a s.h.i.+eld, Orba glared back at the pack of hate-filled eyes.

"Wait."

As a voice rose up, the wave of people was parted in two. A man walked down the centre of those who, left and right, had taken a step back. Sparks suddenly flew from the nearby bonfire.

As I thought, Orba reflected to himself.

"That was surprisingly good, Crown Prince of Mephius. If you're confident in your strength, compete with me. I'm the strongest one here."

No one made any objection and seeing how meekly they were all behaving, he was probably the leader of the bandits.

However Orba knew that face that was lit by the fire's glow. Even though it had been more than six years, those sharp eyes, that characteristic aquiline nose - there was no mistaking them.

As the other drew near enough to make out Orba's face, he too looked faintly surprised.

They look alike - that was probably what he was thinking.

Without saying a word, Orba released Beat, lowered himself at the waist and braced himself anew.

"Ho. So that's your mood, is it?"

The bandit chief's lips twisted into a smile. However he didn't appear in the least bit mocking. He languidly dangled the tip of his sword, swaying it back and forth beneath Orba's eyes. Orba could tell that he was experienced. He was measuring the distance while pacing his breath, and Orba also readied his own breathing.

From across his raised sword, Orba glared at the chief, but...

With a Hah, he averted his gaze.

In the instant that he showed that he had lost in terms of willpower, the chief's blade suddenly drew near. It wasn't fancy. There were no feints either, what bore down was simply bloodl.u.s.t and vigour. Two blows, three blows, were given without being thought out; from the first move, his sword cleaved wildly between life and death. In words, it was swordsmans.h.i.+p cultivated through actual combat.

Schling.

With a strangely clear sound, a sword was once again sent whirling into the heavens.

Orba held his right hand that had gone numb and crouched where he was.

"He did it!"

"Doug won. Did you see?"

"Seize them." Unlike his men, who were seething with excitement, the bandit chied Doug calmly gave his order, maintaining his position, the tip of his sword still in mid-air.

There was a stir among the delighted voices, and this time, from all four directions, the crowd advanced on and encircled both Orba and Bane.

At the same time.

The Imperial Guards were running around Apta Fortress, having received orders from s.h.i.+que.

Orba isn't here.

The day was dying by the time s.h.i.+que realised that. Orba had been there to see Esmena off, but after that he hadn't been seen again. Thinking that after all he was probably secluding himself in his chambers, s.h.i.+que fortified his resolve to drag him this time and headed to the prince's private room. He couldn't bear to see Vileena's worried expression anymore.

That young lady has grown to be more adult-like.

s.h.i.+que had that impression despite their still being little more than acquaintances. Maybe it could be said to be something distinctive to those destined to lead others. However it was a fact that while that young lady had from the start possessed boundless energy and ability to take action, her guts and strong willpower were being completely torn up at the roots.

p.u.b.erty.

Everyone goes through that period. A period in which they feel as though they were a different person from who they were just the day before. Relations with other people, with relatives and above all with oneself would change. This was surely what Vileena was currently experiencing. Moreover, she had married from the royal family of another country. There must be plenty of things for her to think about.

Therefore s.h.i.+que had decided to rouse Orba by force if need be so that they could talk about the reinforcements to Garbera. He himself didn't understand why he was supporting princess Vileena to that extent. It might be that what was closest to s.h.i.+que's current state of mind was that, as a misogynist, what he saw in Vileena were the capacities of a male lord, but he didn't think that that entirely explained it.

It's probably because I want to see it, he thought suddenly. To see the figures of Orba, a man who had risen from being a gladiator, and of Vileena, whose soul held the l.u.s.tre of royalty, as they ran together through this worn-torn era. s.h.i.+que believed that would make a very thrilling story.

Orba the Swordsman is mine to the last but I don't think I mind giving her Orba the Prince.

Still chuckling at his own thoughts, s.h.i.+que arrived in front of the door to the chambers but, according to the guard protecting it,

"The prince left his room some time ago and hasn't returned."

With no other option, he looked for him all over the fort but didn't find him.

Strange...

s.h.i.+que ordered the other Imperial Guards to also search throughout Apta. They did so stealthily so that far as possible, no one other than themselves would realise anything, however, when night fell several hours later, they had no choice but to give the alert.

Having conveyed the news to Oubary, they received help from the Black Armoured Division and extended their search to the streets of the castle town.

"Let's hope he hasn't been kidnapped", Oubary Bilan said, pa.s.sing it off as a joke. "In Taúlia as well there must be people who don't look favourably upon the alliance with Mephius. If some troublemakers came over among Princess Esmena's guards, couldn't they have secretly stayed behind in the fortress and taken the prince away?"

Before long, they received accounts from fortress servants that "The prince left the castle on horseback along with Bane." Apparently they had spotted them by chance at the time.

It was already close to daybreak. That being the case, there was no choice but to organise a military troop to go and search outside Apta.

And at a time when the princess' homeland, Garbera, is in danger.

Having called a number of commanding officers to the headquarters on the barracks' ground floor, s.h.i.+que was making preparations when he noticed the shadow of a young boy near one of the pillars. It was Dinn, the prince's attendant. He beckoned him over.

"Well! A secret a.s.signation with such a young child? Your tastes have changed, huh, Vice-captain." Aeson of the Imperial Guards upbraided him critically.

"Don't be stupid."

Upon rus.h.i.+ng towards s.h.i.+que, Dinn timidly held out a letter. From that alone, he could hazard a guess.

"From the prince, hmm? What kind of plot am I going to find this time?" Without waiting for Dinn's reply, he opened the letter. As soon as he read it, s.h.i.+que's expression changed. "Ah, what kind of idiocy is that prince up to now!"

Previously, s.h.i.+que could truly have been said to never have batted an eyelid at anything that Orba might say or do, but this time he rushed out of the barracks in a panic.

"Hey, what about the meeting? Oubary will be here soon, you know."

"I'll leave the meeting to you, Aeson, since you’re the a.s.sistant Vice-captain of the Imperial Guards."

"Since when?"

"I just appointed you."

He hurried away without looking back again. s.h.i.+que being s.h.i.+que, preparations other than those of looking for the prince were now necessary.

Orba was shut up in what he judged to be a building's underground storehouse. His hands and feet had been bound and he was thrown down among the barrels and the broken farm tools that lay scattered all over the place. Bane appeared to have been taken somewhere else. Orba hoped he was still alive.

Bane was a member of the Black Armoured Division that had attacked the village. He believed that when he had been stationed at Apta, he had taken part in a.s.saults and slaughter within the territories of Mephius. Therefore, if he were to receive retribution here, there was no need for Orba to feel sympathetic towards him. However, Orba currently had reasons for wanting him to stay alive if at all possible.

Not a single ray of light shone into the underground room. Nor did sounds reach it, so he was apt to lose his sense of time. But with senses somewhat like those of an animal's, Orba could vaguely guess that about three hours had pa.s.sed since he was locked up.

He heard a sound coming from upstairs. Footsteps descended the staircase and with them, the light from a lantern fell on Orba's face.

The one carrying the light was the bandit chief who had fought with Orba. Two men armed with guns walked behind him. The chief's face was still young. Which wasn't surprising as there should only have been about a year's difference between him and Orba, making him seventeen, or perhaps eighteen, years old.

When the chief's eyes met Orba's, his lips curled into a dauntless smile.

"Ho, it looks like you're quietly behaving yourself without getting violent. Or have you realised it's useless and are begging for your life from the imperial family's guardian deity Mephius?"

"Doug, right?"

When Orba said his name from his p.r.o.ne position, the chief - Doug drew his eyebrows in a frown.

"Don't get too familiar, oh my prince. This isn't your country here. It's ours, you could say it was a kingdom just for us. We have our own laws here. In other words, here you aren't crown prince at all. You're just an intruder. And so..."

"What's so funny!" Barked one of the men in the rear as...o...b.. once again flashed a fearless grin.

"You say the same kind of things as in the old days, Doug. This village is my village, so you're the intruders, trampling about with your dirty feet, which is why me and my friends from the village would beat you up. You haven't changed a bit."

When he heard Orba's words, for a second, Doug swallowed his own words along with his saliva. As they watched the situation, the expressions on his subordinates' faces turned suspicious.

"You, what are you talking about?"

"Have you been taking Black Lily powder? For one thing, it's strange that you came this far from the fortress with just one companion."

"You still don't get it, Doug." Ignoring his subordinates, Orba looked only at Doug and continued talking. "No, you've probably realised, you just can't believe it. Well that's not surprising. You spent six years as you, but for six years, I had to constantly win my own life. And now if you notice, you're a bandit chief and I'm in this position. Of course, six years ago, neither of us could have imagined something like this would happen."

"Six years..."

Doug's leader-like att.i.tude crumbled and his expression reflected only confusion. Like that, his face looked like that of a boy his age. The other men however sneered.

"He's talking gibberish."

"If it's not drugs then he's gone mad from fear. Hey Doug, if we cut off one of his fingers, even he'll stop blabbing on. Then we can send that finger to Solon, as a threat to the emperor."

But because of Orba's att.i.tude, Doug was focussing all of his attention on his face, and didn't appear to hear the noise from his surroundings. Waiting for the just moment when he was about to say something. Orba quickly moved in for the kill.

"Roan..."

"What?"

"Roan died at Apta."

Doug immediately looked daunted. Orba continued to fix him with his calm gaze.

"That's why I came here. Doug, I won't tell you to untie me right now but won't you spare me a little time?"

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

Losing patience with the prince who didn't show the slightest hint of begging for his life, the two men's hands sidled up to their guns.

"Leave me to speak alone with him."

When Doug spoke in a hoa.r.s.e voice, they both opened their eyes wide.

"What are you saying!"

"Guys from the Imperial Court are smooth-tongued. You're being fooled by his gibberish bulls.h.i.+t..."

"It's fine, so go!" Even as Doug was shouting, his narrowed eyes stayed on Orba's face the entire time. "Ten minutes, no, five minutes will be enough. If it turns out he's just talking bulls.h.i.+t, forget a finger, I'll cut off his arm and even have him kneel before us."

Compelled by their young and now pale-faced chief's authority, the men obeyed while grumbling complaints.

The one with whom Orba had never stopped quarrelling with during their childhood. There had of course been many reasons for them ending up in fistfights. Because he had made a fool of him, because he had insulted his family, because he had deliberately collided with him, because he had seemed about to cover Alice in flour...

What he hadn't thought of at the time however was that most of those reasons were Orba's own. His blood had always been thrumming darkly. As it coursed through his body, he would look for any opportunity to vent.

"He fights dirty!" One st.u.r.dy boy had complained about him when he was just over three years old. "He never admits his defeat, and he bites and scratches. And in the end after it's over, he'll ambush you saying 'It's not over yet'. He isn't strong, he's just persistent."

By the time Orba was almost ten, no matter how much older the other children were, when there was trouble related to him, they wouldn't get involved. And so Orba also lost interest. Instead, his partner in brawls became Doug from the neighbouring village.

Doug was a boy with a disposition similar to Orba's. When the neighbouring villages held joint festivals, groups of boys of about the same age would get together and look for fights. The first time he and Orba got into a scuffle was also on the night of a festival.

He and Alice had gone to a neighbouring village and when, in front of a street stall there, Doug had asked Alice to dance, Orba had been the one to refuse.

"This isn't a girl you can touch with your filthy hands. Don't come any closer, you stink."

From Orba's caustic words, it was easy to a.s.sume that he was picking a fight. They immediately fell to grappling, swinging their fists and kicking at each other. Brawls between over-excited youths were a staple at festivals. Far from stopping them, the adults spurred them on with their cheering. In terms of physique, the one-year-older Doug had the advantage but when Orba fell to the ground, he picked up a small rock and held it in his fist. With his strikes now packing more punch, he caught Doug on the tip of the nose and from then on things went at Orba's pace.

At that point, a boy who was one of Doug's underlings, seeing his leader at a disadvantage, tried to take Alice hostage. Orba but also Doug, who despised that kind of method, rose together to put a stop to it. However, the boy who was pinioning Alice's arms had his foot sharply stamped on and she caught his cheeks in a slap as his face jerked upwards.

"Right, this fight is over."

As...o...b.. and Doug stood stupefied, Alice stepped between them, grabbed Orba by the ears, and forcibly dragged him away.

That was the first time the two of them got into a fight. After that, they clashed a number of times and no doubt each thought they hated the other. But that relations.h.i.+p of theirs was also shattered six years ago.

When Garbera's army seized Apta, the area where Orba and the others had lived pa.s.sed under a different ruler. And so, troops from their previous sovereign country of Mephius burned the villages to the ground.

Once the two were alone, Doug pulled a handgun from his waist. With a quick movement, he aimed it at Orba's head.

"Understand? I'll shoot you without mercy if you keep talking nonsense." He threatened in a low voice. "Just who the h.e.l.l are you!?"

"Orba."

"Bulls.h.i.+t."

Although he himself had increased the s.p.a.ce between them, when he heard Orba's answer, he immediately rejected it and approached him roughly. He pressed the muzzle of his gun directly to Orba's forehead.

"What kind of bulls.h.i.+t is that? How would Orba come back to Apta as the crown prince? Why would he come back to this village with a Mephian soldier? Answer me!"

"My village was burnt down by Mephian troops." Paying absolutely no mind to the gun muzzle, Orba simply continued talking while looking straight into Doug's eyes. "I barely survived, and that was only on the whim of a certain Mephian aristocrat who suspected that I could be of use."

"Of use?"

"My face looks like that of Mephius' crown prince."

"..."

"I was trained to be the prince's body double. But it's a plot that's only known to one of Mephius' n.o.bles, neither the other aristocrats nor the imperial family know about it. The other Mephians at Apta should also believe that I'm the real prince. And so, on the prince's authority, I went to war with Taúlia."

"B-Bulls.h.i.+t!"

Doug shook his head, his face pallid, but Orba continued with his tale regardless.

"Coming here was a good opportunity. I wanted to go back once to my native village, but I really didn't expect to be attacked by people from the same area. Still, your defences are pretty poor. Just by talking a bit with enough people, both the bandits' hideout and their leader's name came to light. When I heard the name 'Doug', I was able to imagine quite a few things. Just as I've lived these past six years covered in disgrace, you've had your own six years. And so I came to check it out for myself."

"I don't believe it." Doug groaned, looking like he was grinding his teeth. "B-But at the same time, I can't believe that the crown prince would know Roan's name. Are you really Orba? It's true there's a likeness but, even if it's been six years, that face..."

"I told you I was trained to be this country's crown prince. That involved various methods."

Doug stood frozen in the same posture for a long time. Then, he took a deep breath.

"You said that Roan is dead?"

"Yeah."

"Then, what about the others?"

"You should know that better than me, right? Keefa, Lulu, Bione, what happened to them?" Orba enumerated the names of the villagers.

Doug would probably have gathered together the villagers who had survived Garbera's looting and Oubary's setting fire to the villages. That being the case, maybe there were some of Orba's acquaintances other than Doug here and he simply hadn't recognised them earlier because of the darkness. As...o...b.. imagined it, they were alive and had taken to banditry in order to take revenge on Mephius. That would be why they mainly attacked caravans from Mephius.

"There are a lot of people whose fate I don't know." As...o...b.. had expected, once he gave the names of the villagers, Doug's eyes glinted sharply and he lowered the gun. Then his eyes wandered, seemingly at a loss. ".... A-Alice, she, what happened to her?" Doug asked, speaking in a rush.

There was no way for Doug to realise. To realise that although Orba had believed that he no longer held out any hope, when Doug fired off that question, the little that had in truth remained in his heart was crushed and scattered forever.

I see.

Orba closed his eyes for a single moment. And he swore to himself that he would lock away all of his hopes and feelings into that one moment.

I see. Somewhere, I still believed. Foolishly. Pathetically.

As...o...b.. remained silent, Doug, his emotions bursting out, shouted,

"Oi, what's wrong? Don't tell me you don't know if Alice..."

"Did you think she was still alive?"

"W-What?"

"I did too, but if you don't know anything about her either, then – then she's probably no longer living. Just like my brother. I'm such a fool, simply believing that they were still alive even though there was no evidence. There's nothing left to do except give up."

The two of them fell silent. Although united in that silence by the same pain, neither looked at the other.

"... Orba."

After a while, Doug called out his name for the first time.

"Yeah."

"You said you became the crown prince's body double. Where's the real one? If he's in Apta, couldn't you bring him here?"

"If I brought him here, what would you do?" Unintentionally, Orba almost laughed wryly. "Are you thinking that you've wasted your time since I'm an impostor? You're being stupid."

"What do you mean?"

"In the first place, capturing the crown prince was only creating a burden for yourselves. What were you going to do with me when you believed I was the prince? Kill me?"

"N-No. Take you hostage..."

"Take me hostage, and then what? What would you have gained from it? Furthermore, who would you have negotiated with? Mephius itself? Your opponent is far too big, you'd have been crushed in the blink of an eye. And of course to kill you all, Mephius would only need to set fire to the villages claiming it was in retaliation. Because of you, any number of the just-rebuilt villages would disappear into ash all over again. Besides, I doubt that loosing Prince Gil would cause Mephius the slightest harm as things are now. Even if you were planning to take revenge, it would have been completely pointless."

"... You..."

Although it was different from earlier when he had doubted Orba's real ident.i.ty, Doug looked at him as though he were seeing a different person. Engrossed in what he was saying, Orba however didn't notice.

"Doug. More importantly, Oubary is at Apta."

"What?"

"Oubary of the Black Armoured Division. When our villages were burned down, he was the ringleader."

After dawn, Doug gathered the main members of the gang in the village's meeting hall. Originally they had been farmers, people who made a living by catching fish in the rivers, blacksmiths and so on, but for the past six years, they had had been attacking caravans of Mephian merchants and distributing their spoils among the villages. They had exchanged gunfire and crossed swords with hired mercenary escorts more than just once or twice.

Several of them had suffered indelible wounds to their face or body, and not only their appearance but everything in their demeanour exuded unmistakable menace.

All of them were older than Doug, but no one had objected to making the eighteen-year-old their leader. He was quick-witted, knowledgeable about geography and above all, he received overwhelming support from the hot-blooded youths. They who never knew what the next day might hold preferred to follow the safest methods, so none of them were angry at following a boy.

"What did you say!?"

But although they had so far held their nerve, when they heard that Oubary was at Apta, their expressions changed. All at once, a thirst for blood broke free.

"d.a.m.n it! How dare he come back to Apta?"

"With the right information, we could have ambushed him..."

"No, it's not too late even now. We'll lure him out with the prince as hostage. We can threaten to kill the prince if he doesn't come..."

A great many of them were galvanised into furious speech. Doug however rejected their suggestions.

"An admirable stratagem but have you thought about how villages within Mephian territory will be burned down?"

"Then what do you want to do with that prince? You can't be thinking of sending him back unharmed?"

"Since killing or threatening the prince are both pointless, we'll use a different way to lure him out."

"A different way?"

"Yeah." His expression sharp, Doug looked at each face in turn. "If this plan works then it won't just be Oubary; the Black Armoured Division that murdered our families, we'll be able to throw most of them to the flames."

As Doug unfolded his plan, they listened first dumbfounded and stunned, then leaning forward in excitement. When he had finished talking, Doug once more looked at each member's face and said,

"If a single one of those predictions is wrong, the whole plan will be ruined. Even so, I'm thinking of going for it because we'll never get this chance again if we let it slip by us. What do you say, shall we do it?"

One by one, the main members of the gang of bandits nodded, their eyes ablaze.

"Whatever road we choose, now that Apta has gone back to being Mephian territory, I didn't think we'll be able to continue long as bandits."

"One way or another, we'll get the women and children to escape to the villages around Birac. We can give them all the money we have to hand."

"Ah, it will be a pleasure. The only question is, who's going to get to kill Oubary. And don't all of you say that you want to do it yourselves!"

Doug unintentionally smiled at that hasty remark.

"That's absolutely out of the question." He announced gravely.

"Understood. You're saying that you want to do it yourself?"

"Right, you lost your parents, your grandparents and your younger brother, so..."

"No, it won't be me." Doug said clearly and pointed to the entrance at the back of the meeting hall. As they saw the figure walking through it, the men's voices rose in a 'Ah!'.

"The one who will kill Oubary," Doug continued to look grave, "is him".