Chapter 60

* * *

["Gold does not rot. Do you know what that means?"]

His father asked the question with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance. His clothes were clean and neat, but their fabric and cut were no different from a farmer's.

["It means that the value of gold does not change with time,"] young Lucas replied.

["Wrong."]

Lucas tried to think of another answer, but none came readily to mind. His father turned his gaze from the distance to Lucas and supplied the answer.

["It means that its value only increases with time."]

["I will remember that."]

["Tell me something else it means."]

["... Since its value rises, the more you hoard..."]

["Wrong."]

This time, his father pronounced him wrong without even letting him finish.

["It means that it is nothing more than a yellow rock. Spend it while you can. As much as possible. In the end, a trading company's success or failure depends not on how you make money, but on how you spend it. None of my rivals understood that."]

["I will remember that."]

Lucas seemed to be mechanically recording his father's words in his mind and answering just as mechanically.

Watching him, his father shook his head.

["No. That is not what you need to remember. What you must remember is that however much of those yellow rocks you spend, in the end you possess nothing. Market prices fluctuate, and power is ever-changing. Do you know why the powerful fall? Because every one of them believed they could possess it all. So long as we abide by this principle, our company will endure forever, through wars and changes of kings."]

["... I will remember that."]

["You must possess nothing. You will be able to possess nothing. Remember that. That is why I adopted you, Lucas."]

["..."]

His father turned away and gazed into the distance once more.

Lucas did not understand. Why say he could not have it all when he could? Wasn't that simply a failing of your own abilities, Father?

Such were the thoughts of the young Lucas, whose face seemed devoid of emotion.

Every day had its own weather, and none was cleaner or more refreshing than the weather after rain as summer gave way to autumn.

If one could savor such a freshly washed day, surely the heart would be cleansed as well.

But Lucas could not turn his attention inward just now. Riding slowly behind the wagon, he stared fixedly at Valeri.

Valeri was riding at a walk ahead of the wagon, so Lucas could mostly see only his back. Only when he occasionally turned his head to survey their surroundings did Lucas catch a glimpse of his profile.

Though those eyes were not directed at him, Lucas could not escape their hold.

Why? His mind offered no answer, but his heart pointed in one direction. He wanted it. He wanted that look in his eyes, as though he feared nothing in the world and therefore held everything in contempt.

He wanted that composure, the ease with which Valeri had walked back as though nothing had happened after trampling his enemies, cutting them down, and snatching arrows from the air.

"What are you staring at?"

The question came from Ivy, who sat in the wagon bed spoon-feeding the priest Eirik a smooth porridge.

At first, Lucas did not realize she was speaking to him and failed to answer immediately. Then he collected himself and smiled.

"I was watching in case more enemies appeared up ahead."

"Liar."

"What do you mean?"

"You were looking at Master Valeri."

Though she was sitting in the wagon bed, Ivy had correctly identified that Lucas was watching Valeri ride ahead of it.

"He happened to be in my line of sight while I was watching the road."

"You kept looking at the same spot."

"... Am I not allowed to look? Are you interrogating me?"

"No. It's just that you had the look of a thief. If you're planning to steal something, don't even dream of it."

"Heh heh heh..."

Listening to their exchange, Eirik gave an old man's chuckle.

"Don't take too much offense. The girl only wants to protect her companions."

Lucas let out an incredulous little laugh.

"Father, and you, little girl. Living in some remote mountain village must have left you ignorant of the world, but I am the deputy head of the Lokir Trading Company. With my father ill, I am effectively the one running it. I can hire mercenaries and raise an army. If I choose, I can buy a fine estate or even a title. What could a man like me possibly steal from you?"

"I know that, but..."

Ivy was about to argue when Eirik caught her sleeve and shook his head, signaling that there was no need to make things any more uncomfortable.

Out of respect for the priest's wishes, she said no more. But she glared at Lucas with her boiled-egg eyes as though warning him.

Utterly exasperated and unwilling to deal with these people any longer, Lucas nudged his horse's flanks and rode ahead of the wagon. Then he addressed Valeri.

"My thanks are overdue. It is thanks to you that I survived that danger."

Valeri glanced at the man who had come alongside him, then turned his gaze away and answered without looking at him.

"Understood."

"Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Lucas, deputy head of the Lokir Trading Company. My father is currently ill, so I am effectively in charge. The Lokir Trading Company is the foremost trading company in the north, and I would venture to rank it among the top five in the entire kingdom. I would like to take particular care in rewarding you. Is there anything you want?"

Valeri turned to Lucas. After studying him in silence for a moment, he answered.

"Have bathwater prepared when we reach the mansion."

"... Haha, such modest tastes. Is there nothing else you need?"

"You cannot give me what I want."

"And what might that be?"

"An answer to why I should live."

"..."

For a moment, Lucas was at a loss for words. He had not expected that at all. Had the man studied philosophy? What was he talking about?

Mistaken though he was, Lucas felt he now understood why a priest and an armed monk were traveling with him.

"Hahaha... Forgive my rudeness. You are such a fine horseman and swordsman that I had no idea you were a man of such lofty sensibilities. There is a northern-style sauna at the mansion. I shall have a hot bath prepared for you as well. Only honored guests may use them, but I shall give special instructions."

"Thank you."

"But are you truly not interested in the Valkyrie? There can only be a handful of men as skilled as you. I imagine you would pass the trial of valor without difficulty."

"The trial of valor?"

"You really haven't taken an interest, have you? You must pass the trial of valor, either yourself or through a champion. There is jousting and a swordsmanship contest. For the first year or so after the Valkyrie arrived, there were many casualties, but the field has thinned since then, and not so many compete now. After the trial of valor comes the trial of wisdom. His Grace the Duke of Nearcaster personally asks you about the workings of the world, and you must answer. Even after passing that, you must bring the most precious treasure in the world as a gift before you finally earn a chance to meet the Valkyrie. I have already passed the trial of wisdom."

"... You're going to marry her? The Valkyrie?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Fools are no more than moths drawn to the flame of her being a Valkyrie. Clever men weigh the practical benefits and stay away. But I am neither."

"..."

"The symbolism of a Valkyrie, her divine bloodline, and the public's attention. People do not realize that attention itself can make money. But I do. And I can make a great deal of money from it. I cannot give you an answer to why you should live, but I could share this secret with you."

Valeri exhaled through his nose as though Lucas were pathetic, then turned away again. There was that contemptuous look once more.

Lucas wondered what he had done wrong. He felt indignant, yet at the same time wanted to draw Valeri's attention again.

He did not seem to care for money, or women, or even glory. What in the world interested him, then? No, did people like this actually exist? Seriously?

Watching Lucas from the driver's seat, Yorik privately wondered what the man's problem was. Good grief, he was making everyone uncomfortable.

"Then what is it that you want, Lucas?"

Unexpectedly, Valeri asked a question. Since they had agreed to stay at the man's mansion, he was not treating him with utter coldness.

"Well, perhaps I want something different from what others have. Something only I can possess. Like the history of the royal family. Don't misunderstand me. I mean no disrespect to the king. It's the stories, you see. The history of House Vǫlsungr that everyone knows, that chronicle of suffering. Grudges and vengeance, and especially the love story of the twin brother and sister. A sacred tale permitted only to royalty, because theirs is a divine bloodline."

Lucas spoke with a slightly dreamy look in his eyes, as though describing a wistful memory. Then he turned toward Valeri and flinched.

Valeri was glaring at him with murder in his eyes.

For Valeri, his family and bloodline were a source of both trauma and a deep-seated complex.

He had improved considerably thanks to House Winslow and his friends, but that did not mean the wound had vanished.

Once, he had hated it with a maddening intensity. Since drinking dragon's blood, he had come to share in that piercing pain and sorrow.

Lucas's words had thus scraped at Valeri's deepest wound and touched his rawest insecurity.

He was treating all that desperate hatred and vengeance, all that pain and sorrow, as a mere accessory. Valeri felt so profoundly insulted that he wanted to kill him.

He would not have been this angry even if Lucas had said he wanted to kill the reigning king.

"Whether you marry the Valkyrie or make a fortune is nothing to do with me. But don't cross the line. I won't tell you twice."

Valeri stared at Lucas as though his gaze alone could kill. A film of tears made his eyes gleam.

His eyes were piercing enough at the best of times. Now, faced with that deliberately murderous glare, Lucas froze in both mind and body, to the point that he truly felt he was already dead.

Even so, he felt a strange thrill at having finally captured Valeri's full attention.

Extreme terror and elation, those conflicting emotions, offered a rare stimulation that money could not buy. Especially for someone who lived so enamored of himself.

Valeri whipped his head away as though warning him not to speak again. Only then could Lucas breathe, dragging air into his lungs.

"Hey, Master Deputy Head. Why don't you come to the back? Stop bothering him."

It was Knut, riding at a walk beside the wagon.

Lucas was not a man to take orders from anyone, but dazed, bewildered, and frightened, he gradually fell behind. When he reached the rear of the wagon again, the old man and the girl he could not stand came into view.

Knut urged his horse forward to join Valeri.

"Wasn't I right? He is a fucking idiot."

Valeri had been trying to calm his anger on his own, but Knut's remark drew a sudden chuckle from him. He no longer had to struggle to suppress his fury; it scattered in an instant.

"I'll give you that."

"You really do live and learn. I used to think having plenty of money made everything perfect. People certainly need an education. Like I've had."

It was Yorik.

"I'll give you that, too."

"If he pesters you one more time, I'll give him a proper earful. But you'll have to handle the aftermath, Master Valeri."

"Thanks. Much appreciated."

Valeri looked back at Yorik and smiled. It was not a smile granted to just anyone.

Lucas was behind the wagon and could not hear what they were saying, but watching the scene from the rear made something twist inside him once more. He did not know why.

Having left the village that morning, the party reached the Lokir Trading Company's headquarters toward evening. In all honesty, Valeri and his companions were taken aback.

It was not merely a mansion, but an entire estate. Workshops of every kind clustered around the main house, and broad, fertile fields stretched beyond them.

All of it belonged to the Lokir Trading Company. It certainly lived up to its reputation. None of it, however, was Lucas's achievement. His father, Lokir, had built it all.

Valeri's party headed toward the mansion. Though they had thought Lucas nothing but a fucking idiot, they now began to sense some of his authority.

Farmers and workshop laborers just finishing their day's work bowed to him even from a distance.

Mounted men came pouring out of the mansion and hurriedly asked after him.

"Are you all right? We were late learning what happened. We heard there was an attack."

With none of Lucas's attendants surviving, it was inevitable that word would reach the company headquarters late.

"I am fine. Thanks to these travelers, I haven't a scratch. They are honored guests. Prepare the sauna and hot bath for them, and see that they receive special care. Quickly."

The company's warriors, though still shocked, were relieved to see their deputy head unharmed. They hurried about, preparing to welcome Valeri and his companions.

When they were almost at the mansion, a young lady of perhaps fourteen or fifteen came running toward them in a dress.

"Brother!"

"Oh dear."

Faced with his younger sister, who made a fuss over the slightest thing, Lucas hurriedly dismounted lest she hurt herself. Then they embraced as though they were family reunited after ten years apart.

"Oh, I was so worried, Brother..."

"I'm fine. I'm all right."

After weeping for some time with her face buried in Lucas's chest, Lucilia suddenly looked up at the nearby clatter of hooves and rumble of wheels.

And then she saw him. The man bathed in the red light of sunset.

A man? No. To Lucilia's eyes, Valeri seemed a beautiful being beyond humanity, beyond gender, and her mind went blank. The moment was brief, but its impact was enough to imprint itself on her forever.

Seated on jet-black Snow, Valeri gave her one indifferent glance and rode straight past.

He might have offered a greeting, but he had little desire to become entangled with this family. More than anything, he wanted a proper wash for the first time in ages, and his head was full of nothing but the sauna and hot bath.

For a moment, Lucilia blankly followed the departing Valeri with her eyes.

"I'm safe thanks to those travelers. They saved my life, so mind your manners if you meet them in the mansion."

"... Pardon?"

"I said, mind your manners."

"What have I done that's ill-mannered?"

"No... Never mind. Let's go inside for now. I'm tired after taking care of business."

His subordinates had done all the cutting up and hanging of the corpse in the village, while he had merely stood there at the appointed time. Still, given what had happened on the road, he was indeed mentally exhausted.

The brother and sister walked hand in hand, a picture of affection. Yet neither was conscious of themselves, or even of the other whose hand they held. Both were watching a single man recede into the distance.