Chapter 105 - Unwelcome Guests (4)

“Your Highness, Iron Prince, I have a question.”

“Ask away.”

“A document arrived from the 「Rhapsody」 family of the six free cities, requesting permission to bring an armed force into our Iron Kingdom. Yet before we could even review its contents, it had already been approved. It bore your official seal, Your Highness.”

“And?”

“Did you personally approve it, Your Highness? Our humble review found their force to be far too large and powerful. So much so that their stated purpose, ‘to reclaim our honor,’ hardly suffices as an explanation.”

“Was it?”

“Yes. A force of this size... could burn a small city in the Iron Kingdom to the ground in an instant, with strength to spare. If they were determined, even a large city would be in danger. In particular, Rhapsody’s second son, Edan Rhapsody, who is among them...”

“I did approve it personally. So there will be no further argument.”

“...”

“I fail to see what concerns you. Whether their second son comes, their eldest son comes, or their illustrious master Hugo Rhapsody deigns to visit in person, none of them can pose a threat within this Iron Kingdom. Not while I am here.”

“Ah...”

“Do not bother me. Understood?”

“... Understood, mighty Iron Prince.”

At the Iron Prince’s irritable response, the elderly courtier hastily bowed and withdrew. He had no confidence he could weather it if the prince’s irritation escalated into anger. Countless courtiers and nobles in this palace had fallen to ruin after earning his hatred. The Iron Prince was right. Nothing within this Kingdom of Steel could threaten him. Here, that young man reigned supreme. As long as he had his executioner.

‘What an impossibly touchy man.’

The elderly courtier wanted to get away from the irritable prince. Strangely, however, the last glimpse he caught of the Iron Prince’s face as he left showed no scowl. Instead, he was smiling. Like a boy who had found a delightful new toy. He looked positively overjoyed.

A humble courtier could not know why that madman was delighted, or why he smiled. But he made no effort to discover the reason. In this palace of blades, built upon steel, those who sought to know too much always died young. And the elderly courtier had no wish to die young. Indeed, that very attitude had kept him alive all these years.

“Excellent, Carlos...”

The elderly courtier tried to erase even those final words from his mind. Hear, but act as though you had heard nothing. See, but act as though you had seen nothing. It was a rule one had to obey to survive in the blade city.

* * *

“Damn it.”

We had sullied the honor of 「Rhapsody」’s young master and brutally murdered a loyal retainer. Those were the grounds they had given for declaring war. But neither made any sense. I had never sullied their young master’s honor. I had beaten him in a duel, but it had been a fair duel. A contest for which we had even sworn a duelist’s oath to the goddess Lepri. To insist that it had tarnished his honor, or that they had to avenge his defeat, was simply unreasonable.

Under continental law, those were not grounds for declaring war. If I could only prove that I had been falsely accused, other families or groups that upheld justice would intervene. They said they had acted on the testimony of their youngest son, Toma Rhapsody, so we could counter with testimony of our own.

“They cannot declare war for reasons like these. However much the 「Arena」 authorities dislike letting trouble spill beyond the amphitheater, they will intervene in this case. They may be worldly people who pursue wealth and honor, but they are also devotees of the goddess Lepri.”

Tom said he would contact the 「Arena」 and ask for help. A short while later, however, he returned looking troubled.

“They aren’t responding.”

“What do you mean?”

“It isn’t just one or two people I can’t reach. It’s everyone. Even the Arena’s chief administrator, who always responds promptly without fail, is unreachable. What on earth...”

Tom seemed genuinely bewildered.

Meanwhile, I examined their second reason. Brutally murdering a loyal retainer. That made no sense. I had never killed a Rhapsody retainer. The only lives I had taken that day belonged to fighters participating in the 「Endless Duel」. If a retainer had followed the young master into the Endless Duel and met an untimely death, that would make sense. But if he had died there, he, too, had died in a fair duel. They could not hold me accountable like this. Absolutely not.

“Whew.”

As my expression grew darker, so did Tom’s. Partly because he was worried about me, but there was another reason as well.

“This is unacceptable. I will help bring the matter before the public, even if I have to testify myself. I was there that day, and I saw with my own eyes that the duel was fair, not dishonorable. I would gladly stand in court and tell a mage to examine my memories.”

Tom was an official of the 「Arena」. He was also a devotee of the goddess Lepri. He was deeply unhappy with the way this situation was unfolding.

“This is far too strange. It feels as though everything is arranged to drive you to the edge of a cliff, young Lord Arhan.”

I sighed at his words.

“I’m afraid you may be right.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, I think someone really is fucking me over.”

“What do you...”

Tom tilted his head, then his eyes widened.

“The Iron Prince...”

“Yes. This shitty situation seems to be the maelstrom he spoke of.”

A maelstrom.

That word hardly seemed enough to describe this situation. The five Great Families, whose influence extended across the entire continent, had declared war on a tiny estate in the middle of nowhere. This would leave even a reasonably sizable town trembling in despair, let alone a backwater estate in Verdi. With a little exaggeration, each of the five families had influence comparable to a nation. Not that the five together amounted to one nation. Each of the five was practically a nation in its own right.

“Tom.”

“Yes?”

“Please leave, while you still can.”

Tom said nothing.

Of course, it would be hard to insist on staying after seeing all this. This was not merely a difficult predicament. It was a natural disaster descending upon us.

I sighed and looked out the window. The people who had only just gathered at our estate were trembling and voicing their fears. Some of the more anxious ones had already left. It was just like before. That day, when the swordmaster Carlos had announced he would return, everyone had left too. And everyone who stayed had died. Everyone but me.

So I could understand if all my neighbors left again. I could even wave them off willingly, without resentment. Truly.

But...

“Why would I leave?”

“Pardon?”

“We are friends, young Lord Arhan.”

“...”

“Does this old man look like someone who would flee when a friend is in peril? Surely not. I will stand with you, even if staying means being caught up in this and dying together. Besides, I have little time left to live. Rather than flee disgracefully and eke out what remains of my life before dying, I would rather return to the gods while fighting beside a dear friend. Then I could at least tell my friends who went before me, and the goddess Lepri, a tale of valor. Tell them I met a splendid end.”

“...”

“So do not worry.”

Tom smiled.

“The goddess Lepri has always said we must stand against even the mightiest wave.”

“You told me that once before.”

“You remember?”

“Back then, you said it was sometimes wise to avoid a fight. That since we were not as great as the goddess Lepri, it was all right to hide until the wave passed. Those were the kind words you offered before my promotion match for a silver medal. I remember. But why are you saying something different now?”

“Because my friend inspired me.”

“Inspired you?”

“Back then, my friend, young Lord Arhan, told me that as a fighter who prayed to the goddess Lepri, he could never turn away from a fight. That he intended to stand his ground and fight with all his strength, rather than flee. That he did not fear dying in glorious combat.”

Tom grinned.

“I feel the same.”

Ah.

“So instead of wasting time on needless talk, let us devise a plan.”

Tom truly was a good man.

“There is an old saying: even if the sky falls, there is a way out.”

“...”

“Let us find that way out, young lord.”

A truly, very good man.

* * *

As residents left in droves, we gathered in the Caravan manor. There were five of us in all: me, Seolyun, Tom, Audrey, and Haylin.

“I agreed to discover the ultimate limits of the sword with you in the first place. Why would I leave?”

Seolyun.

“Let us find a solution.”

Tom.

“Descendant of steel. If you die, my mission ends too. And I’ve never failed a mission, you know? I can’t leave a stain on my career. Besides, I won’t die even if I stay here. Great Families or not, they won’t dare hurt me directly, if only because they’re afraid of my husband. So I’m staying to the end. Hmph.”

Audrey the witch.

“I liked this estate. If you hadn’t saved me, young lord, I would have kept traveling with Jerry Selpit and died before long anyway. I’ll use the life you saved for the estate. I wanted to turn this place into a great city.”

And Haylin.

Not one of the five people here intended to run away.

For that, I was deeply grateful.

“First, we need to learn about the enemy. If any of you know anything, please share it.”

Tom was the first to speak.

“I know about that mage out there.”

“How do you know him?”

“How could I not? That unpleasant way of speaking, that distinctive Mana pattern. He’s a mage of the Free City’s 「Wave School」. People call the mages who belong to it ‘Wavecatchers.’ They’re exactly the sort other mages detest. They don’t treat magic as a field of study, only as a means of waging war or making money. Typical of those lowlifes from the Free City who pretend they’re so cool. They’ll fight anyone as long as they’re paid, and whenever a war breaks out, they’re happy to join as mercenaries.”

“Do they have any distinguishing traits?”

“They’re strong. When it comes to destroying things or waging war, he’s probably better than I am. Witches’ magic is excellent from a magical standpoint, but magical excellence doesn’t necessarily translate to raw power. The Wavecatchers developed their magic exclusively for combat.”

Audrey poured out answers to Tom’s questions.

What she said was certainly helpful.

Audrey also described other characteristics of Wavecatchers and the things they sought. The easiest way to deal with a Wavecatcher was to offer more gold. But however much money I had earned, I could not outbid the family that ruled the six free cities.

“Don’t worry. They’re powerful, but their scholarship lacks depth, so they’re weak in magical combat between mages. I can neutralize him.”

Audrey the witch was brimming with confidence.

And it was not mere talk. She had demonstrated her ability earlier. Hadn’t she incapacitated five 「sword runners」 in less than a second? The witch had already proved her worth.

Tom spoke next.

“We have no information about the army that will arrive later, so let us discuss the advance force first. I probably know more about it than the rest of you here.”

“Do you know anything about them?”

“First, those thirty-odd knights are likely members of a knightly order belonging to Rhapsody. They probably brought only a small contingent so they could declare war quickly. From what I sensed, none of those knights were among Rhapsody’s true fighting strength. The truly powerful knights will be with the main force arriving soon.”

Those words were devastating.

A knightly order of thirty men, every one a 「sword runner」.

And they weren’t even a core fighting force?

“There was only one swordsman in that advance force we need to beware of.”

“...”

“I imagine everyone felt it.”

But there was no time to sit there dumbfounded.

Everyone nodded at Tom’s words.

Every person here had felt it.

That man’s presence.

“The man who recited the declaration of war at the end.”

“...”

“「Rhapsody」’s second son,” Tom said.

“He is the one we must be most wary of in that loathsome camp.”

“...”

“Edan Rhapsody. A rising talent hailed as the swordsman who will succeed Hugo Rhapsody.”

Tom’s explanation did not end there.

“I can say this with certainty. If I were not here... that man alone could slaughter every living creature in this estate, including everyone in this room. Within two hours.”