Chapter 61

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After soaking in a hot bath, washing, and finishing with the sauna, the weariness of the road melted away, leaving their bodies deliciously relaxed. Add to that the luxurious horsehair mattresses and the fresh, clean feel of the bedding, and it was enough to make them wonder whether they had found heaven.

Valeri and his companions drifted off to sleep in that comfort.

After sleeping soundly from early evening until the following morning, Valeri awoke feeling brimming with energy.

Unlike the usual castles built for defense, the Lokir Trading Company's mansion was not an uncomfortable place to live. It offered an excellent environment: bright natural light, comfortable temperature and humidity, and spacious rooms and corridors. It was an ideal home.

As soon as he got up, Valeri washed quickly and put on the clothes the company had provided. There were silk underclothes, a silk tunic, and a gambeson—all new, not old garments that had been laundered.

Money certainly had its advantages. Being bound by money and enjoying it were two different things, so Valeri indulged in everything to his heart's content.

After tending to his weapons and equipment, he strapped Wound, his dwarven steel sword, to his waist and stepped outside. Knut, who shared his room, was still asleep.

The corridor was marble throughout, adorned with magnificent ceiling paintings, majestic tapestries stretching dozens of meters across, and ancient stone statues so lifelike they seemed alive.

It truly felt removed from the ordinary world. Without the slightest exaggeration, the mansion was far more lavish and refined than the homes of most nobles.

Valeri strolled along, taking in the sights, until a sound from outside drew him out.

It sounded like a heavy barrel rolling, and sure enough, he found Sigbold rolling a barrel filled with sand.

He appeared to be cleaning his mail. Mail was generally placed in a barrel of fine sand and rolled to remove the rust. Then it was brushed clean and carefully oiled with a softer brush. That was how one maintained it.

Valeri looked around the stables and the place where their wagon stood, then returned to Sigbold and sat nearby to watch.

Sigbold took out the mail and removed the sand. By the time he began oiling it, he spoke to Valeri. His hands continued busily brushing, his eyes fixed on the armor as he carefully oiled every ring.

"That was impressive."

"What was?"

"Your swordsmanship."

"You were remarkable yourself. Are all Jomsvikings as strong as you?"

"There may be some variation, but I would say most are much alike. You have to pass a test to join in the first place."

"Do you ever regret it? Having to live a lifetime of restraint?"

"I would be lying if I said it wasn't difficult, but I have no regrets at all. Before I joined, I truly lived like a beast."

"Could you tell me what your life was like before you joined?"

"Well... I sailed out to sea, killing and plundering wherever I reached land. I couldn't even speak the language of those people. The world was endlessly vast, and there were just as many people. No matter how many I killed, there was no end to them. People even lived in a sea made of sand. Then, at some point, I began to feel uneasy inside, though I didn't know why. What was it? What on earth was troubling me? While I was wrestling with that question, I met Father. He told me why I felt that unease. And that was how I joined the Jomsvikings."

"Why were you uneasy?"

"Because I had no faith. You must not kill those who cannot resist. You must not kill for plunder. You must mourn the dead gods and give thanks that you are alive. Death is an old friend, and when it comes one day, you must welcome it rather than fear it. A selfless prayer for another is invincible. Disappointment and frustration are steps toward becoming a better man... Everything is illusion. Only faith has substance."

To have no faith meant having no purpose or direction in life. It meant being no different from a wandering beast.

Sigbold had once lived that way—a life without faith. He had lived only for the thrill of battle and the acquisition of spoils. Then, just as he began to wonder whether something was wrong with that life, he met Eirik.

A life driven by slaughter, strife, and fierce greed was perilous in the extreme, but even for those who survived, only emptiness awaited at the end.

Some abandoned their humanity and grew ever more cruel, while others, like Sigbold, inevitably began to feel that something was wrong.

The unease Sigbold had felt was emptiness, or perhaps guilt. To him, faith was both a signpost showing that life could take another direction and a place of rest.

Religious faith did not truly resonate with Valeri. He merely respected it, but now he felt it might be worth giving some serious thought.

"Once a man has faith, he can never return to what he was before. So if I compare my life before and after finding faith, my life now is far better. My vow of chastity and obedience to the rules freed me from the unease that constantly haunted me. A lifetime of restraint is not bondage to me. It is liberation."

"Liberation rather than bondage. I hadn't considered that. By the way, we're almost at Nearcaster now. What do you intend to do next?"

"The last information we obtained was that the traitor intended to sell the holy remains. Whoever buys them probably means to court the Valkyrie. So I intend to make inquiries along those lines in Nearcaster. If necessary, I'm even willing to take that trial, or whatever it is."

"The Valkyrie..."

Until now, Valeri had given little thought to the Valkyrie's marriage. But he had heard so much about it on the journey, and now that even Sigbold might participate, he finally considered it carefully.

Strictly speaking, she was his sister, but he had never even met her, so naturally he felt no familial affection for her.

Still, he could not deny a quiet stirring of curiosity. It also struck him that both Lucas and Sigbold seemed to be converging on the Valkyrie.

Out of nowhere, he even found himself wondering whether Lucas or Sigbold would make her a better husband.

But when he imagined Lucas becoming her husband, an inexplicable unease swept over him. An unease whose cause he could not identify—no, it was distaste.

"I admit I'm curious what sort of husband she's looking for to cause all this commotion."

"I owe you a great debt, Valeri. If we part ways now, I don't know when I'll have the chance to repay it. Why not stay a little longer, either here at the mansion or in Nearcaster? Assuming you're in no hurry to reach the capital, Valden. With luck, you might at least get to see the Valkyrie's face."

"Very well. Let's rest for another day and visit Nearcaster tomorrow."

Sigbold turned toward Valeri and nodded, smiling for the first time since they had met.

Nearcaster was half a day's walk from the Lokir Trading Company's mansion. It was quite close, but they would be better off spending today tending to their equipment, repairing the wagon, and resting the horses.

Valeri did not intend to stay too long, but with no one pursuing them, there was no reason to hurry on their way.

He rose from his seat. When he returned to the room, Knut was awake, sitting blankly on the bed with his hair sticking up as though he had yet to shake off sleep.

There was no separate dining room for them; the servants brought freshly prepared meals to their room.

Valeri ate with Knut, and they talked about this and that. Then Yorik and Ivy came in.

The four of them discussed their plans and otherwise passed the time with idle chatter.

Around noon, Yorik and Ivy went out to repair the wagon and organize their baggage. Knut decided to spend the entire day lazing about, while Valeri left the room again to take a walk.

The company estate contained more than buildings for people to live in. There was also an extensive garden with walking paths.

Valeri followed one of the paths. The surrounding shrubs and trees seemed cultivated yet untouched, their natural beauty blending harmoniously with their design.

Just as he might judge a swordsman's skill from a cut surface, he considered the gardener's aesthetic sense as he surveyed the garden.

After walking for some time, he heard water somewhere and headed toward it. A girl in an elaborate dress was crouching beside a brook, gathering flowers that floated downstream.

Perhaps hearing his footsteps, she suddenly turned her head and gave a small start. The colorful flowers slipped from her hands and drifted away again.

"Ah!"

Valeri merely glanced at her, then turned away without so much as a nod of greeting.

"W-wait a moment."

The girl hurried to her feet as she spoke.

Valeri stopped and turned. His face was expressionless; he simply waited, as though inviting her to say whatever she had to say.

Dappled light and shade fell over him. Dressed lightly, a sword at his waist, he seemed to have been placed in the scene like a figure in a painting, breathing life into the landscape.

In truth, Lucilia was quite a beauty herself. In her elaborate white dress and extravagant array of jeweled ornaments, she too made a picturesque sight.

The tragedy, if it could be called that, was that the sight stirred nothing in Valeri.

Lucilia stared at him in a daze for a while before speaking.

"Thank, thank you. For saving my brother."

"And I am grateful for the food and lodging your household has provided."

Valeri turned to leave again. Once more, the girl stopped him.

"W-wait a moment."

"..."

"Lucilia. My name is Lucilia."

"I am Valeri. A pleasure to meet you, Lady Lucilia."

Then he turned to leave yet again. He observed only the barest necessities of courtesy, succinctly and precisely, with an air that seemed to say he had no business with the likes of her.

Perhaps that behavior offended Lucilia, for her brows drew together slightly. Before she knew it, she raised her voice.

"Hey! Ah! I-I'm sorry."

Lucilia's thoughts were a complete jumble, and her heart was pounding so hard she could barely think straight. She could not say what Valeri had done to put her in this state, but there she was.

"Is there something you wish to discuss with me? I did not mean to be rude, my lady."

"No, um, the banquet. Are you attending the banquet?"

Like someone whose mind had broken down, Lucilia could only hear his question about what she wanted echoing in her head, and she blurted out something rather out of the blue. His somewhat cold behavior had left her flustered and desperate to speak.

"What banquet?"

"His Grace the Duke! The one His Grace is hosting..."

"He and I are not acquainted."

"No, well, I mean, it's like a festival. Hahaha... You watch the jousting during the day, look around the city, and then attend in the evening... There will be plenty of fine people there, so coming with me would be good for you too, Lord Valeri!"

A banquet was partly for entertainment, but it had a more important purpose: making the acquaintance of people with money and power.

People who ordinarily had no occasion to meet could do so under the pretext of a banquet. Depending on the gathering, it could be a crucial opportunity for business, politics, or diplomacy.

That went without saying for a banquet hosted by a duke—especially now, when people from across the kingdom had gathered because of the Valkyrie.

Valeri had no interest in such things, but it occurred to him that he might learn something about the whereabouts of the holy remains or satisfy his own curiosity about the Valkyrie.

There was no need to get entangled with a thieves' guild just to obtain information, was there?

Since he had already decided to visit Nearcaster with Sigbold, attending the banquet seemed a good idea.

"Very well. I shall attend, my lady. When is the banquet?"

"Oh... It's tomorrow. Was that too sudden an invitation?"

"No, the timing is perfect. I had already decided to visit Nearcaster tomorrow."

"Really!? Then is this fate!?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean, everything has fallen into place so perfectly!"

"Ah... Yes..."

Valeri wondered whether Lucilia was a little deficient in intelligence, but did not say so aloud. He hurried away from her, thinking she seemed rather out of her mind.

In fact, Lucilia had several reasons for being so delighted.

Part of it was spite over her brother Lucas paying attention to nothing but the Valkyrie. Public interest in Lucilia herself had waned recently, and she also felt that attending the banquet with Valeri would restore her prestige.

He was tall, well-built, and so very handsome. Simply imagining the sight of them together sent waves of happiness washing over her.

At the same time, she imagined Valeri eventually falling for her, leading to a sorrowful love that could never be fulfilled.

Although she was no noble herself, she believed there was a difference in their stations.

In any case, her heart ached as though she had become the heroine of a tragic romance, but ultimately, all of it was a kind of pleasure.

But perhaps good fortune inevitably brought bad in its wake. Brimming with happiness, Lucilia encountered a shock she had never imagined.

While dining with Lucas that evening, she told him she would be attending the banquet with Valeri. His eyes abruptly blazed with fury.

"What? Why did you do something no one asked you to do?"

"Pardon? What do you mean, Brother?"

"I already had a schedule in mind for Lord Valeri. He needs to be with me."

"What are you talking about? You said Lord Valeri was an honored guest, not an employee."

"More foolish nonsense. He's my honored guest, not yours!"

Lucas raised his voice so sharply that she wondered what had suddenly come over him. Nothing like this had ever happened before, and Lucilia's eyes widened in bewilderment.

It was confusing. Even if he was jealous, shouldn't his jealousy be directed at the other man? Why was he losing his temper with her? Did he look down on her?

Ordinarily, she would have burst into tears, but instead anger surged through her. The word "foolish" rankled in particular.

"Watch what you say! Just concern yourself with the Valkyrie, Brother! Why are you interfering with what I want to do!?"

"What!? Interfering!? I've been the one running this company since Father fell ill! What have you ever done? What do you even know how to do!? How dare you talk back to me!"

Lucas sprang to his feet, shouting. His chair toppled backward with a crash.

Lucilia had never seen this side of him. Her heart hammered as she stared at him in shock.

"... So this is the sort of person you are. This is who you've been all along. Why didn't I ever realize? You've always thought I was a fool who couldn't do anything?"

Her voice shook, but she said everything she had to say.

Her hands and feet were trembling so badly that she could barely stand, but now she felt physically threatened as well. She managed to rise and leave the dining room.

As she walked away, her footsteps clicking, grief swept through her chest. Memories of their past flashed through her mind, and tears began to fall.

Fortunately, Lucas did not follow his sister, and the situation grew no worse. After fuming by himself, he set his chair upright and slumped into it.

His resentment refused to subside for a long time. Eventually, he realized he had made a mistake. Even so, the resentment did not entirely fade.

For the first time, Lucas felt as though his younger sister were a political rival. After all, he was an adopted son.

He failed to examine himself and ask why he had lost his temper so uncharacteristically.

Instead, as he sat alone in the dining room for a long time, he dwelled on the things he did not possess: the Valkyrie's symbolic significance, Valeri's strength and composure, and that gaze.