The forest was by no means large and it was filled to overflowing during the rush to withdraw. Some were dragged down by the wave of people and were crushed underfoot by their allies’ horses. Every time a sword was swung, someone’s head flew, but even so, Moldorf ascertained a path of retreat and raced on with his spear in hand, weaving his way through the rain of swords to break through to the forest.

There, Moldorf joined up with the troops who had been sent to detour around the forest and briefly halted his horse in order to personally take up the rear guard. While covering his allies, they gradually retreated. Valiant warriors from all of the allied countries lined up on either side of him. Even now that he had decided they would flee, his spear was not one particle less relentless, and as they chased after their routed enemy, the men from Lasvius' unit were slaughtered one after another.

"Don't chase them too far!" Lasvius himself finally shouted out to restrain his allies. To reiterate, they too were not really in a position that allowed much coordination. It would only serve to increase the number of victims if each attacked haphazardly in order to earn achievements. Better after all to fire bullets or arrows from a distance.

It was quite effective, although Moldorf himself didn't have a single scratch. Before long, the entirety of Garda's army was headed northeast in a cloud of dust. For now, they intended to pa.s.s by the eastern side of Lake Soma to escape to Eimen or else to Kadyne.

The remaining Taúlian soldiers both inside and out of the forest raised a cry of triumph and saw in their comrades' faces the pride of knowing that Garda had been thwarted for the first time since the beginning of his invasion. They had won against Garda's forces.

Ax Bazgan heard their cry of victory as he was rubbing his lower back. His blood had of course run cold when he had seen Moldorf's spear approach, but now he struck a grand pose and accepted the soldiers' joyful voices.

Cherik's army withdrew in almost no time at all.

"Don't chase after them," Ax issued a strict command. "I will pa.s.s through Cherik's gates personally and in grand style. Even Yamka will have to accept it."

The news wasn't all good. The worst of the damage that the Taúlian forces had suffered had been inflicted when Moldorf had charged alone, but what caused Ax's expression to cloud over was that the strategist Ravan Dol had been caught up in it. Apparently, when the strategist was flung from the dragon’s back, he had slammed into the ground with his entire body and had lost consciousness. He was breathing, but his age was what it was. It was impossible to say what his condition was.

Because theirs had been a march that privileged speed, there were few non-combatants in the first wave of troops that Ax was leading. The artillery and infantry troops following behind should have doctors with them, so until they arrived, a tent was set up for the strategist to rest in.

Lasvius went towards Ax. That Taúlia had made a move was largely because of the letter from Bouwen Tedos who had been under Lasvius’ protection.

“As expected of one who has inherited the blood of the Bazgan family. Taúlia’s cooperation was essential for gaining the first military achievements against Garda.”

“What? The western lands were those ruled by the Bazgan family. We wouldn’t not move to protect them.”

His manner of speaking got on Lasvius’ nerves somewhat and an unpleasant expression crossed his slender face, but no word of criticism pa.s.sed his lips. Ax didn’t particularly notice.

“It was because the loyal retainers of Helio did not give up on retaking it that we achieved success. You have my thanks.”

So saying, he offered a handshake.

What a strange man, that thought was written on Lasvius’ face as he returned the handshake. He had an arrogant side and an affable side that coexisted without contradicting each other. Ah, or isn’t it..., he almost smiled as a thought struck him. In short, Ax Bazgan was like a child. He was exactly like the swaggering leader of a neighbourhood gang of kids.

Afterwards, Lasvius issued orders to his subordinates and had them bring Orba over. s.h.i.+que was with him and Ax recognised his face as that of the messenger who had arrived in Taúlia just a few days ago. Furthermore, that messenger had originally been a mercenary hired by Taúlia and he had heard that before that, he had been a gladiator in Mephius, so Ax’s expression showed somewhat mixed feelings.

However, that did not change the fact that when Bouwen had fled the battle at the Coldrin Hills, they had protected him to the last without abandoning him. Lasvius had wanted to introduce Orba to Taúlia’s governor-general but time was short.

“We’ll hold a party later. I’ll be giving you a reward but if you’re expecting something big, it might be a problem in these troubled times,” Ax smiled jocularly.

After that, while waiting for the troops following behind, they rested in the area around the forest. Naturally Ax had the soldiers take up battle formations in turn and scout their surroundings at all times. Incidentally, he had sent a messenger post haste to those behind to inform them of the situation and to order a third of them to return to Taúlia. It was not that he was taking Cherik lightly, but it was in case Garda’s temporarily routed army changed its objective and headed there instead.

Meanwhile, Orba was with s.h.i.+que and Gilliam, who he knew of old, and with the mercenaries Talcott and Stan, when they heard a voice say,

“Mephian dogs.”

The one who was insulting them so as to be deliberately overheard was a man who was giving instructions to the sentries posted a little way from where they were. Judging from his equipment, he was a soldier from Helio. Moreover, he seemed to be of the rank of battalion commander as he had a ta.s.sel attached to the top of his pointed, Taúlian-made helmet and a short mantle hanging from his right shoulder.

“I don’t know if it was on Lasvius’ orders, but they’re getting full of themselves for having commanded the detached force. A man who’s more like a boy and who can’t show his face. Since when has Helio been so short-handed that we need to rely on slaves?”

“Yo, s.h.i.+que,” said the gigantic Gilliam while poking a finger in his ear. “I can’t make out this western accent. Are they picking a fight with us?”

“Leave it, maybe it’s a mistake,” s.h.i.+que appeared to chide him in a gentle voice that matched his feminine appearance, but his words as he spoke loud enough to let them hear were far from gentle. “See, if you take out a sword and thrust it at them, they will surely apologise and snivel that ‘It’s a mistake, there’s been a misunderstanding so please forgive us.’ When that happens, we’ll be the ones left feeling awkward.”

That was rare for s.h.i.+que. As for Orba, he turned his face in Cherik’s direction without saying a word. As was his habit when he was lost in thought, he fixed his eyes on a single point without moving, without even so much as blinking.

“That man, I know him by name,” Talcott said afterwards in a low voice. “Surūr Wyerim, the commander of Helio’s infantry battalion. He seems to be in a bad mood but don’t provoke him too much. Apparently he’s more capable than he looks.” As he was saying that, the look in his eyes seemed somewhat amused by the situation.

Regardless, no further incident occurred and the troops following behind joined up with the main force. A messenger came galloping up just as Ax was about to start moving. When he heard his report, he snorted loudly. “So it’s finally come? I was starting to wonder if I would seriously have to march in there.”

An envoy from Cherik had arrived.

Elsewhere, in far distant Taúlia.

“What?” Raswan Bazgan’s cruel-looking face wore an expression of astonishment. “Is this true?”

“Yes…” As he answered, the old sorcerer raised both his palms to the level of his chest and placed them over a strangely shaped crystal ball. It was in the form a skull that had horns and a somewhat elongated snout. While peering into it, he continued, “It appears that soon after our troops left Helio, the soldiers of Helio’s royal family recaptured the city. From there, it seems that reinforcements rushed to Taúlia’s aid and they probably caught Moldorf’s force in a pincer movement. Although I have not seen the outcome, so it is possible that Moldorf managed to prevail against the odds.”

“Why?”

“It seems that a man named Lasvius hid in the Belgana Summits along with his subordinates…”

“Not that!” Raswan barked with a thoroughly irritated expression. “Why didn’t you convey news of Helio’s fall to Moldorf’s troops? Aren’t you capable of instant communication no matter how far apart you may be? If he had had known that reinforcements were coming from behind, Moldorf could have acted.”

“None of our comrades accompanied Moldorf's force. We too are limited in number,” the sorcerer's answer was concise. It held no impatience nor regret nor apology.

Raswan’s lips trembled, but,

“Do not be hasty,” the old man’s voice was cold.

Although Raswan's brain was boiling with anger, he froze instantly. However, he was a man who had steeled himself and who was prepared to turn his blade against his own father. He drew his brows together and scowled deeply at the other.

“If we lose the opportunity to act it will all come to nothing. But with whatever sorcery you lot possess, doing something like changing history is so easy that…”

“Indeed. There is nothing more important than a good opportunity,” the sorcerer interrupted Raswan’s words, “and when it comes to opportunities, there will be as many as one likes later. But it will be over if we fail. My master Garda has great expectations of your a.s.sistance, Lord Raswan, so please do not lose your temper and destroy the chance that more opportunities will come your way.”

“S-So you are saying that there is no worry that the countries of the west will join hands and engulf Garda then.” Raswan was anxious that he not be taken lightly. Garda had said that he would leave Taúlia in his hands but he was not so naive as to leave it at that. In preparation for when he became governor-general, he had to keep in mind how to place himself on equal terms with Garda, who would have subdued most of the western lands.

Nnh, as Raswan’s violent expression shattered, the blood drained from his dark brown skin.

The sorcerer didn’t say a thing. He only laughed. A soundless laugh.

A moment later, he repeated his words, “Do not be hasty.”

In the end, Raswan Bazgan had no choice but to postpone making his move in Taúlia. As he looked out the window at the streets of Taúlia that were entirely bathed in the light of dawn, Raswan persuaded himself that it was a sign that his luck still held that his notification had not yet reached the soldiers and that they were still unaware of the situation.

“Garda tricked us,” at the meeting set up within Cherik’s castle, King Yamka the Second made his appeal in tears. Invited there were Ax and several commanders. Representing Helio were Lasvius and his second-in-command from the Dragoon Corps.

“You were tricked. And you think that explains everything?” If Ravan Dol had been at the meeting, he would have rebuked his master at that point, but unfortunately the elderly strategist was still unconscious. Ax’s stern face was flushed scarlet. “The fact that Cherik joined hands with Garda is a fact proven beyond doubt. Let’s hear your reasons, what kind of sweet promises tempted you and what the h.e.l.l were you thinking mobilising your soldiers and turning your bayonets against my Taúlia?”

“W-We didn’t think that we would be setting ourselves up against Taúlia. That was, those soldiers at the border were only there to protect the country after we heard that Helio had fallen and…”

“In that case, you sure moved quickly. Your soldiers left Cherik with amazing speed and took up formation by the border before the battle at the Coldrin Hills had even ended.”

Ax jabbed at him with his words. His head down, Yamka pa.s.sed his hands through his thinning hair over and over again, then, wiping his sweat away,

“Garda’s forces sent me a threatening letter. Attack Helio from behind or you will be the next target. Naturally I didn’t give in to that threat. We mobilised our soldiers to show Garda Cherik’s military might. But that was what they were aiming for. So that they could pretend that Cherik and Garda truly had joined hands and have you, Lord Ax, misunderstand, thus blocking Taúlia’s movements.”

“Oh ho,” Ax scrutinized Yamka the Second’s face which had been pallid when they had entered the room but which had become red as he spoke. The words he had marshalled together seemed reasonable enough but,

If that was Garda’s plan, it was really crude. He couldn’t have predicted how Cherik would react after he’d simply threatened them. Ax was aware that without Ravan there, his own personality might play to his disadvantage. Dammit. Should I leave it at that? No, if I press on here I should be able to draw out some information about Garda.

He was truly poor at detailed negotiations like these. When Ax fell silent, the room, naturally, could only also be wrapped in silence. Sunlight flooded through the window. Because it was so extremely bright, each and every speck of the dust that enveloped the room was plainly noticeable and Lasvius, who was by nature fastidious about cleanliness, had been making a sour face for some time.

Yamka II desperately scrutinized the two men’s expressions.

Incidentally, the Taúlian soldiers had currently set up camp in the outskirts of Cherik. It couldn’t really be said that they created an oppressive atmosphere. This was an example of Ax’s magnanimous personality. Having sounded Yamka out, he had allowed Cherik to hold a small banquet in welcome to Taúlia’s soldiers. Several people serving in high office in Cherik were also taking part.

Ax guessed that the people of Cherik and the common soldiers probably hadn’t been aware of their country’s connection to Garda. Although power rivalries were constant in the western lands, Cherik, just like Taúlia, was a country that had been born when Zer Tauran split apart. The countries that had handed down Zer Tauran’s customs and traditions still shared a unique bond so that even if they had been at war until just the day before, they would immediately stand shoulder to shoulder against a foreign enemy. As such, Cherik would not easily have accepted the presence of Garda, he who had thrown the West into disarray.

Therefore, just as Yamka had said, was it not likely that the soldiers truly have been given instructions to “Strike at Garda’s army as it comes from Helio”?

From here on, Cherik would become an important base against Garda. Because of that, Ax didn’t want to harm its people or make them feel any warier than necessary. Which also meant that he couldn’t cut the king, Yamka II, too deeply either.

Tsk, Ax gave another small click of his tongue and changed the subject by asking Lasvius about the situation in Helio.

Lasvius gave a matter-of-fact account of the succession of misfortunes that had befallen Helio, from the defeat at Eimen and King Elargon’s death in battle to the civil war that had arisen within the country.

“Were those who rose in rebellion tricked by Garda?”

“At this point in time there’s no way to verify that, but perhaps it’s possible.”

Lasvius then talked about how the mercenary commander called Greygun who had been invited to Helio had been connected to Garda and bout how he had betrayed his allies at the battle at the Coldrin Hills.

“Greygun, huh?”

As Ax gave him a brief look, the king of Cherik coughed violently and turned the other way.

Greygun, the commander of the Red Hawks mercenary group, had originally been a man employed by Cherik. Trouble had arisen between him and Yamka, and he had been expelled from the country. The whole sequence of events of how he and his seven hundred soldiers had then been hired by Helio was unnatural. Considering the connection between Yamka and Garda, it was more plausible to suppose that rather than them falling out, Yamka had sent Greygun to destroy Helio from inside.

Even though Lasvius’ feelings towards Yamka were anything but kind, not a hint of those emotions coloured the commander of Helio’s dragoons’ sharp features. He too probably realised the importance of Cherik’s role in the future. He kept an iron self-control over himself.

There’s no helping it, we’ll have to put off dealing with Cherik until later, Ax decided, feeling unamused. Everything would have to wait until after they had gotten rid of Garda’s army. It wasn’t too bad if he thought that after this, he would hold the means to gain the upper hand in negotiations with Cherik. Perhaps he would be able to seize some of the management rights to the rich granary region around Lake Soma.

“Garda's army that we fought today. They were the units stationed at Helio. What was their actual condition?”

“Bluntly, they were a mish-mashed troop. Just like in Helio, they all seemed to obey Garda because their people have been taken hostage.”

“A strange tale. With that way of doing things, even if they were to annihilate all enemy powers, they wouldn't be able to govern. What is Garda thinking?”

“Well who knows. But...”

“But?”

“Isn't that precisely Garda's weak point?”

As he quietly made that a.s.sertion, Lasvius’ expression, which had until then been as cold as ice, thawed as though from the intensity of his emotions and changed into something that was yet neither anger nor joy.

“For the people, even if their home country is overthrown, even if the ruler changes, as long as their living conditions improve afterwards, they will adapt to the new system and the new country name. But since there is no government, the people’s hearts remain constantly wrapped in anger. They yearn for their country’s name, they await the day when their true royal family will reclaim the throne, and if they can’t bear to wait, they raise their fists themselves. There’s no doubt that Kadyne, Eimen and the others in Garda’s power are just as we in Helio were. So if today’s military accomplishments of ours were to spread throughout the West, it could become our one great opportunity.”

“To topple Garda’s army?”

“Yes.”

Only Yamka II seemed uneasy at hearing the vigorous conversation between them and stayed apart from the two who had immediately started talking about defeating Garda. So the demon fell, he thought to himself as though it was someone else’s business.

What he had told Ax was of course complete nonsense. He had most certainly forged a connection with Garda. But now, he was not entirely sure about his motives for linking himself to the sorcerer.

One reason why Yamka had concealed the truth from Ax was of course because he had been thinking of Cherik’s future, but the true reason why he couldn’t openly admit to it was because,

If I tell others, they’ll mock me for a fool.

One night, more than half a year ago, Yamka II had seen a dancing girl in a dream. With her elegant dancing and her somewhat strong beauty, she fit Yamka’s tastes more than any woman he had ever seen before and so perfectly matched his ideal feminine image that he believed their meeting was surely ordained by the Dragon G.o.ds.

After she had finished performing her dance, Yamka had s.e.x with her within his dream.

“You my lord will one day be the one to rule the southern half of Tauran,” the dancing girl had whispered in his ear. He heard more such idle talk after their intimate liaison. But when he awoke from the dream and as he was savouring the vivid memory of it, the dancing girl’s whispered words reawakened Yamka II’s half-forgotten desire for supremacy.

Could it be a prophetic dream sent by the Dragon G.o.ds? Just as he was wondering that, a troupe with a certain dancing girl had visited Cherik.

“I received an invitation from his lords.h.i.+p,” she had announced when she appeared at the castle gate. Yamka had summoned her before him with uncontrollable curiosity and expectation. And sure enough, she and the dancing girl in his dream were like two peas in a pod.

The dancing girl gave her name as Tahī. What happened after that was like a continuation of the dream for Yamka and he only had a hazy memory of it. Tahī herself had vanished just before Yamka launched his military operation, leaving only the words, “I will visit again later,” behind her.

Was she just an illusion? He wondered, now that the entire plan had collapsed as it had.

“But there’s no explaining it,” the discussion that Cherik’s king had stopped paying attention to continued. Ax groaned, his arms crossed. “Those guys advanced their army after us, who were headed to capture Cherik, and not towards Taúlia which was empty. It’s hard to imagine that they could have seen through Ravan’s plan so easily. You could always say that at about the same time as the troops left Taúlia, spies lurking in the city sent them that information, but even then…”

“The information travelled fast.”

“Too fast. What kind of method did they use?”

He gave another quick glance towards Yamka, silently asking if he didn’t have any information about Garda relating to that. Actually, Ax had been seized by the thought of asking him directly: Hey, how did you contact Garda but seeing that Yamka’s face had gone pale again and that he was shaking his head, he probably hadn’t been informed about it in any detail.

You worthless excuse of a man. How could you trust a guy without knowing his real intentions, the arts he uses or his real nature?, he wanted to yell. He swallowed back his emotions however.

“Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds don’t use flames and whirlwinds to destroy armies like in the legends, but it’s worth thinking that they might use some even more terrifying techniques,” he said.

Since each of their movements were in danger of being seen through, at the very least they could say that it wouldn’t be a war in which they could overwhelm their opponent with superior force of numbers.

Given our victory in this fight, how will the other Tauran countries move? They would need time to ascertain that.

After that and once he had left Cherik castle, Ax, along with Lasvius, went to show his face at the banquet.

The soldiers from Cherik who were acting as their escorts stood to attention. For their part, they probably had the feeling that the misunderstanding with Taúlia had been resolved. But even if they were to hold official peace negotiations sometime soon, Ax, was not exactly happy. He had after all almost been driven into a truly desperate situation.

“This way,”

After chatting with the soldiers for a while, Lasvius led Ax to a different place. He had chosen several soldiers beforehand from those who had raced in reinforcement with him and had invited them to a bar in Cherik. He had a governmental official from Cherik prepare a carriage and headed there with Ax.

The sun was almost at its zenith, but the sky had gone grey, clouds had appeared and an unpleasant wind was blowing.

The carriage, with a dozen brawny soldiers following behind it, pulled up in front of a large bar on Cherik's main street.

There were very few places where women could work in Cherik so unlike other countries, there were no women waiting at the tables. As he walked into a rather squalid room where the paint was chipped, a crease appeared between Ax's brows.

Regardless, the soldiers that Lasvius had chosen were in a secluded part of the shop. They were the mercenaries that included Orba.

Ax Bazgan.

From behind his mask, Orba observed the man who approached towards them. As the mercenaries rose from their seats one by one, he lowered his eyes a little. There was no need to speak of it again now, but Orba had been the body double of the Mephian empire's crown prince and had himself commanded soldiers. Where the southwest of Mephius bordered Taúlia, the countries had crossed swords and he had met Ax Bazgan face to face at that time. Because of that, now that he had taken off the 'mask' of Gil Mephius, he didn’t really want to talk too closely with him. And so, he had intended to remain silent there, but –

“I didn't have much time earlier, but I forgot to give my thanks for saving Bouwen, huh? You rendered great efforts for Taúlia’s sake. And you played a key part in our victory this time too.”

“We didn't do anything.”

Opening his mouth, Orba was vexed at his own timing. Any way you looked at his att.i.tude, he was being arrogant for a mercenary.

Having drawn everyone's attention to himself and while ignoring Gilliam, whose face was scowling Again, Orba spoke.

“The ones who saved General Bouwen, as well as ourselves, were Captain Duncan and Taúlia’s soldiers.”

“This fellow's att.i.tude is sometimes somewhat misguided. Please try to forgive him,” Lasvius smothered a smile.

“What? You were originally a mercenary hired by Taúlia. You don't need to stand on ceremony,” Ax looked at the masked man with displeasure stamped across his features but then he gave a single nod. “Is that right? Duncan, huh.”

Naturally, Ax had also been informed of the death of Duncan, who had been attached to the Fifth Army Corps as commander of the mercenaries.

“He was a good man. Eventually I was planning to have him command regular soldiers rather than mercenaries.”

“He was a splendid warrior,” s.h.i.+que lowered his head as he spoke. “Captain Duncan entrusted his last wish to the likes of we mercenaries, that we protect General Bouwen to the end.”

Ax closed his eyes for a moment for Duncan and those killed in the war.

“In these wretched times we live in, we can't even stop to mourn the dead. First of all, I need to think of someone to replace him. And also, we want every capable man we can get.”

While in the carriage on their way there, Ax had heard the details of Helio's recapture from Lasvius. Fixing his gaze on the masked swordsman once more, Taúlia’s governor-general said something that made every one of the mercenaries doubt their ears:

“You said your name was...o...b.., right? How about it, will you take over the platoon?”

Lasvius stifled a laugh again as even Orba blinked behind his mask.

“Me... No, I , you mean?”

“That's right. Fifty mercenaries. It's not much but we'll gather more. We should be able to prepare ten of the new model riffles. We'll also round up as many horses as possible.”

“Wh-Why me?”

“You can think of it as a reward for one thing, but that’s not all. You can’t lead mercenaries by enticing them with honour and prestige. Nor can you encourage them to all be reckless heroes only interested in increasing their wages. What you need above all else is someone who can act as a unifying force for them.”

Ax’s words were a lot like what Duncan used to say. It had been a way for Duncan to sell his own abilities as someone who could do that, but ever since back then, Ax had thought that it was something that made sense.

“Even if we quit being mercenaries now, we’ll be rolling in money from this time’s work. But if we earn feats leading a mercenary unit, we can double, no triple, those funds,” the one who was rejoicing the most was Talcott. Overhearing what was being said from where he was drinking a little apart from Ax, he whispered, “Taúlia’s general is generous. How about it, Stan, can you see a bright future ahead?”

“It’s no good for this, Brother. Unless I’m looking straight at a battlefield, I don’t get any premonitions.”

Orba on the other hand dropped his gaze to the table. When he had been the Mephian crown prince’s replacement, he had routinely given orders to large numbers of people and he had experience in leading soldiers. But that was already like something from long ago.

Thinking about it, I was naïve.

If someone were to hear him, they would probably laugh at him for indulging in such an insolent daydream. But those were Orba’s true feelings. He had been given soldiers, he had gotten drunk on the power to move them around and he had meddled with wars as he wanted. But –

Brother.

Even now, he was haunted by the feeling of how his heart had seemed to stop when, bathed in the light of the setting sun in Apta, he had gazed at an engraving on sword. Carved onto the blade which was thrust into the ground in place of a grave-marker was the name ‘Roan’.

Roan had been conscripted from the village as a soldier and had breathed his last on the battlefield. The officers in charge of the operation probably hadn’t even known his name.

To those who employed soldiers, the rank-and-file troops were known only by numbers. But each of them had a family. They had lived life until then. At some point, wearing the mask of Prince Gil, Orba had almost come to forget something so obvious.

He who should have hated those in power had almost become like them. When he achieved his personal revenge against Oubary Bilan, from the bottom of his heart, Orba grew disgusted at the self-contradiction/paradox he was caught in. And so, he abandoned his future as crown prince and his feet carried him here, west to Tauran.

Now, even if he were in a position to manage soldiers again, he wouldn’t turn into the same as then, would he? He wouldn’t be deliberately picking up the mask he was supposed to have thrown away and be awkwardly filled with contradictions, would he?

“How about it?” Ax asked once more. Orba lifted his gaze. There was another arrogant pause. Orba looked straight into Ax’s face.

He was a descendant of Jasch Bazgan, who had once founded Zer Tauran in these western lands. Looking up at him like this gave him a different impression of his features than when he had met him as the prince.

Taúlia’s king. A king?

The uncomfortable silence continued. Ax’s eyebrows twitched convulsively. Just as s.h.i.+que was about to start saying something,

“I gladly accept,” Orba agreed to the proposal with those few words. Ax grinned and personally poured wine into Orba’s cup.

While taking it with a respectful att.i.tude, he thought,

I’ll defeat Garda and bring this battle to a close. Isn’t that what I’ve already decided?

With his own eyes he had seen death coming for Duncan, the captain of the mercenaries, and he had witnessed Queen Marilène of Helio’s determination and her fate. There had been many “Roans” on the battlefield where he himself had fought. And also, there was the youth from Garda’s army who had been forced to fight because his family had been taken hostage.

Orba’s eyes, which were apt to hold a dark gleam, now shone with a secret and fierce new light.

The wind was changing in the west.

It was about half a month since the battle at the outskirts of Cherik. When they learned of how the combined forces of Taúlia and Helio had defeated Garda’s troops, the various countries of Tauran received almost as great a shock as they had when the sorcerer’s invasion began in earnest.

Taúlia and Helio had reaffirmed their alliance and the two countries had exchanged letters with Cherik confirming their friendly relations from there on. Each of the small countries scattered across the northern Abbas Great Plains – most of which had sprung up from nomadic tribes – also sent messengers to Helio confirming that they would ally themselves with them. Messengers on fleet horses came running even from Altak, the southernmost state of Tauran, which stood at the edge of the desert and the wilderness west of the Numelda Gorge, which bordered Cherik.

Throughout the west, countless armed soldiers could be seen coming and going along the highways that had been trade routes at the time of the former Zer Tauran.

Partly in order to sweep away the rumour that they had been tied to Garda, Cherik, in which many from the various states had gathered, actively reached out to them and unreservedly served the soldiers stationed there with the abundant food that they had in reserve thanks to the blessings of Lake Soma. It was said that three of Cherik’s huge granaries were emptied within that half month.

During that time, the enemy made no move.

Garda remained secluded in Zer Illias and neither were there any conspicuous movements from Kadyne or Eimen, although they would probably be the first targets once the allied western forces took action. Rumours flew that the leaders of Garda’s army were in disarray after suffering their first defeat in the outskirts of Cherik, but no one knew if that was true.

In that time of course the kings and military commanders of the west sent innumerable spies and scouts to the regions under Garda’s control, but as not a single one of them returned, they didn’t receive even a single report.

For his part, Orba, now the commander of a mercenary platoon, received his official military uniform once he returned to Taúlia. Bouwen Tedos, the commander of the Fifth Army Corps which Orba was attached to, was currently undergoing medical treatment. Besides which, the mercenary corps, starting with its captain, Duncan, as well as the platoon leaders ranked lower than vice-captain, had all been killed at the battle at the Coldrin Hills. Therefore, the name of ‘Fifth Army Corps’ barely made sense as it was hardly functioning as an army division at that point in time.

So instead, Orba had had to recruit men from the mercenary unit under Toún Bazgan, the general in charge of Taúlia’s defence, as well as to establish his position as a captain of mercenaries and to organise his subordinates. They were fifty-three in total. A reasonably high number for a platoon. Amongst them, to say nothing of s.h.i.+que, Gilliam, Talcott and Stan, there was also Kurun, the apprentice soldier from Lasvius’ unit.

“The commander kicked me out,” Kurun laughed, his features still retaining a trace of childishness. Needless to say, he wasn’t from Taúlia. That he had crossed the border to be hired as a mercenary there was perhaps proof that the west was changing. “He told me I should come and learn about actual combat under you for a while. Although it hasn’t been long, he really has a high opinion of you, huh.”

“What a flirt,” s.h.i.+que said surrept.i.tiously. His face was haughty and he had a somewhat a threatening atmosphere.

“There’s no way I’m calling you ‘captain’,” said Gilliam, an opinion that Talcott agreed with.

Despite all this, Orba’s subordinates received good wages. Because they had money, they went pub crawling every night. Once when s.h.i.+que went with them, he noticed something strange.

“Those two are going drinking together a lot.”

“So what?” The sun was setting over the training ground and Orba handed over his horse to a page attached to the platoon. Having endured Orba’s rough and violent riding style until just now, the horse was looking haggard. “Gilliam is quick-tempered as you know. Talcott is excitable. Normally, they don’t get on all that well and they often get rowdy even just drinking alone. Gilliam is quick to raise his fists to other people and Talcott makes fun of others and gets them mad.”

“So you’d think those two would start fighting from the start.”

“Exactly,” a smile spread across s.h.i.+que’s entire face. “You could call it something like affinity in liquor. When they’re together, oddly enough they hold each other’s flaws in check. Gilliam laughs off Talcott’s sarcasm like a funny joke and in some ways Talcott is really good at lifting Gilliam up.”

Although he hadn’t been asked to, s.h.i.+que described the two’s relations.h.i.+p to Orba.

Because the physically very strong Gilliam brushed off Talcott’s nonsense, other people also found it easy to take it as a joke even if Talcott was bad-mouthing them. Also, for Gilliam, each of Talcott’s jokes seemed to hit the mark. That being the case, instead of laying the place to waste, he pulled his surroundings into his enjoyment.

Because of that, s.h.i.+que had cleverly gotten the mercenaries who were Orba’s new subordinates to take it in turns to go out with the two of them every night. Although compared to the regular soldiers the mercenaries came from a variety of origins, most of them were still Zerdians. There would have been plenty of them who held no kind feelings towards Mephius, their enemy since the time of Zer Tauran.

“When gossip-mongering Talcott gets drunk, he’ll also start to insult Mephius. And Gilliam sitting with them might also make for a good buffer. If they grumble among themselves that the captain is a masked brat and blow off steam together, it will be easier to bring them together as a group, don’t you think?”

“Is that so?”

Orba didn’t comment on whether it was a “good” or a “bad” idea. When s.h.i.+que had finished talking, he turned to the page and saying “Another horse,” he had him get a new one ready for him.

s.h.i.+que looked surprised. Orba had already spent the entire day training with a spear on horseback.

“How long are you going to do that for?”

“I won’t say ‘until I can compare to Moldorf’ but I should at least get more or less used to it.”

Riding his fresh horse, Orba galloped across the training ground. s.h.i.+que followed him with his eyes for a while until Orba’s figure was far in the distance, then he suddenly burst into loud laughter. The nearby page was startled and stared at this mercenary whose face looked like a woman’s. He was laughing as though he had desperately been holding it in until now.

“D-Did you see his face while I was talking to him?” He asked while tapping him on the shoulder, although the page couldn’t possibly have seen the face of a man who was wearing a mask. s.h.i.+que laughed until he was crying. “He was in a much worse mood than usual. Well, there’s no helping it if he wasn’t happy that he hadn’t thought of my idea himself. Since he’s always, always the one to come up with the plans, he was definitely thinking about how to smooth things out with his new subordinates. And here his dear and esteemed wife s.h.i.+que had already sorted things out.”

It was less than a week after he had finished organising his unit that Orba, having returned to Taúlia with Ax, now left for Helio before Ax did.

The military might of the various countries was converging on Helio in much the same way as it was on Cherik. There, the streets were like an exhibition presenting the various types of Zerdians, with the figures of nomads with no settled dwelling being especially conspicuous. Incidentally, most of the nomads pitched their tents outside the city walls where they also hunted freely and performed their training.

Orba’s unit would see its first service there. Their duty would be to serve as guards along the road from the Coldrin Hills to Helio. It wasn’t only soldiers who were coming and going: lines of pack animals with goods piled high on their backs as well as crowds of people gathered, and many caravans were expected to arrive.

There were no attacks from the enemy.

It was a tedious duty since Helio’s army was also cautiously keeping a close watch, but meanwhile, whenever a caravan travelled through, Orba would talk with them and buy maps of the Tauran regions from them. They covered the entire western region, from maps focussed only on the areas surrounding Kadyne or Eimen to ones hand-drawn by the travellers that showed the byways and secret paths through the mountains and valleys.

“Have you taken up map collecting?” Talcott teased as he happened to peer at what Orba was holding in his hand. “Oh, the guy you bought from earlier really did an outstanding job. That’s the old place name being used there, look, and the landscape features are drawn wrong. I’m pretty sure I could do better job at drawing that.”

Just as he said, Talcott had some artistic talent. Whenever he went to a bar in town, he would come on to women who caught his fancy by drawing their portrait.

Speaking of Helio, there was an eatery there which Orba, Talcott and the others all visited together on the day they first crossed over the border from Taúlia. It as a small place managed by just two people, a young woman named Kay and her younger brother Niels. It was there that Orba and the others had gotten into trouble with some of Greygun’s men, mercenaries from the Red Hawks.

It should have ended as just an ordinary brawl, but of all things Helio had fallen under the rule of Greygun and his Red Hawks. Because of that, s.h.i.+que had been openly worried about what might have happened to the eatery. Soldiers acting as though the town were theirs might have attacked the shop and kidnapped Kay.

And so they had stopped by there for the first time in a long while, but the door was locked and when they peered through the window, the inside looked deserted. Just as they were all starting to feel uneasy, a voice called out to them from behind.

“Ah, it’s you!”

The woman wearing a red headscarf was none other than Kay. She was holding a bag of food in her hand.

Answering their questions, she explained that as soon as they had heard that Greygun had rebelled and seized the throne, the siblings, naturally fearing for their own safety, had gone to take shelter at the house of one of their regular customers who ran a general store. That store handled everything from ordinary groceries to swords and armour which had been repaired after being abandoned on the battlefield, and it was comparatively prosperous. Kay said that with his help, they were planning to reopen the eatery soon. Incidentally, the “he” in question was standing next to Kay and holding bags like her.

“Oh-ho, that’s good,” Talcott crinkled his nose as it was obvious even to an outsider that Kay and the man didn’t have just an ordinary relations.h.i.+p.

At any rate, that evening they toasted the eatery’s planned reopening. They toasted Helio’s recapture and toasted Orba’s inauguration as platoon leader. The drinks flowed merrily the entire time, but Talcott didn’t get drunk as he usually did and by the end, he was crying into Gilliam’s broad chest.

“I’m amazed,” whispered s.h.i.+que. “Maybe he was actually serious about Kay.”

Holding his wine cup, Stan shook his head.

“Brother is always serious.”

Talcott and Stan had known each other for a long time. He was probably used to such scenes.

And so, the night turned into the next day.

An unexpected visitor showed up at the Helian garrison where Orba and the others were stationed. Or rather than a visitor, it was an applicant wanting to join the mercenary platoon. Of course, his coming to see Orba was illogical. Orba worked with mercenaries from Taúlia, not soldiers from Helio. However, he wasn’t able to flatly turn him away as it was Kay’s younger brother, Niels.

Gilliam, who was at the garrison, started out by shouting at him.

“You’re not fit to be a soldier with that leg. Go back and hide behind your sister.”

About three months earlier, Niels had enlisted as a volunteer and had taken part in the battle at Eimen against Garda’s army. There, he had been injured in his leg and he was still dragging it from the knee down when he walked.

But Niels stubbornly ignored him. He was carrying a bundle under his arm in which he had probably gathered up his belongings and a brand-new sword hung from his waist.

“My sister has someone good for her now. This isn’t going to cause trouble for anyone anymore. I don’t want a life where I’m just going to grow old helping my sister in this town!” Orba, who had just left the place, headed back. As soon as he saw that mask, Niels started vigorously appealing to him, almost kneeling at his feet.

“What are you going to do Orba…… Captain?”

At s.h.i.+que’s question, Orba drummed his fingers against the sword at his waist.

“Follow me,” he said to Niels and brought him to the garden. It was little more than a courtyard surrounded by a high wall.

“Will you hire me?” Niels followed behind him, looking somewhat agitated. He was about the same age as...o...b.., perhaps a year older. Orba drew his sword as soon as they reached the garden.

“Come at me. I’ll test you out.”

His eyes gleamed quietly behind the mask and the sunlight reflected on his sword was piercing. Niels gulped.

At about the same moment, his sister Kay rushed into the garrison. She was no less agitated than her brother,

“Please stop him! He won’t make it back a second time if he goes to fight! Why can’t he understand that he’ll just end up like father?”

“Now, now. Calm down,” Gilliam shrugged his broad shoulders. “Your little brother will be right back. Look.”

Gilliam pointed to the garden door just as...o...b.. came through it. Niels was following hot on his heels. But he looked as though he was about to stumble as not only his leg but also his arms didn’t seem to be moving properly. “P-Please wait. That was, just one-sided,” he was gasping for breath.

“I told you, didn’t I? You get five tries to hit me. And if with that you can’t even graze me, then give up.”

“I wasn’t able to prepare. And you know, with this leg…”

“Who’s going to go easy on you on the battlefield because of your leg? Your enemies will aim for it and your allies will leave you behind as a dead weight. Either way, you’ll just end up as a corpse.”

“I-I’m… I’ll…”

His arms still hanging loosely from where they had gone numb when Orba repelled his sword, he fell to his knees. Orba walked away without turning to look as Niels’ tears dripped to the floor.

“Idiot. You idiot. You really are, you,” Kay’s voice was choked with tears as she hugged her little brother’s shoulders from behind.

While these various events were taking place, Ax Bazgan, the de facto leader of the western alliance, wrapped up his affairs in Taúlia. From organising the troops and ensuring the soldiers’ provisions to deciding what to do about defence and finance while he was away, there had been a mountain of things for him to do. And while he was thinking about them all, there was the risk that Garda would have pushed forward his western invasion before Ax had even taken a single step out of Taúlia.

Because Taúlia was situated at the eastern tip of Tauran, it didn’t have the same incessant coming and going of people as Cherik or Helio did. Because of that, there was no need for the same constant vigilance, but at the same time, its coffers did not grow full like those of the two other countries. There was barely any trade with Mephius to the east and even that was confined to a merchant called Zaj Haman.

“We can’t use up all our swords and bullets in this war.” Ax spoke lightly but his words were not a joke. If they defeated Garda but failed to quickly secure the northern trade routes, Taúlia or perhaps even the west itself would be weakened and would risk starving.

Also among the many concerns that Ax had settled was a visit to Bouwen Tedos’ sick room. Bouwen lay in bed in his room within the Fifth Army Corps’ barracks. He was embarra.s.sed that his lord had come to visit in person and ashamed that he himself had brazenly survived despite losing the troops he had been given. Ax said only,

“Shame gets you nowhere. Work harder than ever for the sake of those who were lost.” Bouwen wept at his words. Afterwards, Ax had Bouwen moved to a large room within the castle and entrusted him to care of the doctors who tended exclusively to the royal family.

For his part, the strategist Ravan Dol had managed to regain consciousness and was likewise bedridden within his apartments in Taúlia while he recovered his health. He was suffering from broken ribs and was in pain from his waist and back, so right now, there was no way he could join the front.

Ravan had refused to let Ax visit him.

“If you have the time to come and look at this old man’s face, then use to it to do what you should be doing as lord of Taúlia.”

His words were admirable but Ax understood what the strategist was really feeling. In a word, humiliation. Although the relations.h.i.+p between the two of them was that of superior and subordinate, it was also like that of teacher and student, like that of father and son, and occasionally like that of stubborn mutual adversaries.

In the end, Ravan had gone so far as to declare that “If my lord comes to see me, I will kill myself by slitting my own throat.” On the other hand, he had written a letter with measures for fighting Garda and had had it sent to his lord.

That busy period pa.s.sed and Ax was once more on horseback, about to leave for Helio. Toún and Raswan, the father and son in charge of Taúlia’s defence, were there to see him off.

“Toún, I leave things to you while I’m gone.”

“Brother, I look forward to hearing about your travels. Be sure to tell us about how the sorcerer begged for his life.”

Toún said easily but as they bowed to Ax, who sat atop his horse, no word was heard from his son Raswan. But he suddenly fixed his eyes on the war fan that hung at Ax’s waist. Perhaps noticing his gaze, Ax casually made as if to hide it with his mantle.

At that time, was there anyone to notice that Raswan’s lips curved into a sinister smile?

Garda’s invasion had begun about half a year earlier.

The western alliance’s counter-attack was about to start.