Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2 Chapter1

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Chapter 1: Endless Battle

Part 1

Upon finding that Kaiser had been imprisoned, Fedom Aulin jumped up. Kaiser Islan was a noble who once served as a member of the Imperial council.

One week earlier. In a morning council, Mephius' emperor, Guhl Mephius, proposed the relocation of the Dragon God shrine accompanied by a large-scale reconstruction. The shrine, built 200 years ago to worship the Dragon God, would be placed in the basement under the imperial capital Solon's renowned Black Tower. It would be moved towards to the vicinity of the palace, and made into a marvelous structure.

Of the sudden comments, none of the nobles graciously offered flattery, but Kaiser alone had directly expressed his feelings of opposition. The amount of gold and people required made it far from being precedent. Now was the time to fix the relations between Mephius, Garbera, and Ende, though of course, the circumstances wasn't one that prvoided for the highest of prospects. To start with, in the festivals dedicated to the Dragon God that are already held several times a year, practically none of the people even showed up; in other words it had become a thing of the past.

"There should be more critical issues at hand. Forgive my insolence, but please reconsider."

"Is that so," was all the emperor said. And then the talk was over.

Kaiser was well into his mid-fifties, and held a long standing relation with the current emperor. And with that, no one paid the squabble another thought.

But, five days later, Kaiser had heard through one of his evening parties that the king's political measures had been formally reproached. "Recently, his majesty passes over whatever he says without warning," he grieved to the close friends he had invited over, while drunk.

Normally, this would not have warranted any special course of action, but this time in particular, the emperor for some unknown reason entered into a fit of rage and declared, "Those are the thoughts of a rebel!" All of a sudden Kaiser's residence was surrounded by troops, and with that he was arrested. "I'm acting without notice"—and Kaiser's own actions had unexpectedly become evidence against him.

Unease soon spread within Solon as doubts were raised questioning whether his majesty planned on executing Kaiser. Three days and nights passed. Kaiser was placed underground, in a prison unfit for a noble, and forbidden a single meeting with his family.

Fedom had jumped, in response to being struck by a seemingly mixture of shock and dread —he had also personally voiced his opinion to the king having seen an opportunity to hasten peace negotiations with Garbera—and there was something else; something completely different. His chest filled with a feeling of delight nearing excitement.

It might be my turn at last

Emperor Guhl Mephius would once more put his plan of strengthening his own authority into action, and after earning the hostility of his surroundings, was when Fedom would put his own plan into practice, and the testimony of that day drew closer. The foundation of a new political power, one in support of Prince Gil, would be formed within the empire.

It was a large ambition. If he could just bring to light even a little of those inner feelings, regardless of whether it was the same as Kaiser's—no, he had to meet others with stern eyes from this point on. And at that,

"Lord Fedom."

Down the Main Palace's hallway as he greeted Zaat Quark, I met a troublesome fellow, he thought.

"Have you heard of Lord Kaiser's circumstances?"

"Immediately so"

"Just what is his majesty planning? This has gone too far for a joke. You must tell me your thoughts. I will take it with me to my grave."

Fedom responded vaguely as he passed by Zaat who displayed signs of labored breathing. Zaat Quark was head of the so-called anti-imperial faction. Of course, it's not as if he walked around with a sign hanging on him stating what he was. Like Fedom, he followed a similar train of thought, and in remonstration before the emperor who was so insistent on fighting to the bitter end, helped in convincing him to promote peace negotiations. He also held the title as a member of the Founding Imperial Council and it became evident that there was no way they would harbour positive sentiments towards the man who was emperor in name only.

In this sense, Zaat considered Fedom as a comrade. Or at least, he should have.

"There haven't been many incidents that have become too serious, though it seems to have had the opposite effects. For this reason, our intentions are to spread idle chatter of this 'joke', which will instead become truth. This is a secretive matter. You know fully well of the king's temperament."

"How are you so calm? This is treason against the king. And did you know? Just the other day, the king met with a messenger from Ende and—"

"Pardon me. I have some matters to attend to."

"Lord Fedom," Zaat knitted his deep black eyebrows, "This isn't like you. Worrying over the country's future in earnest to this extent, you're even prepared to face his majesty's judgement. Surely, the affair regarding Lord Kaiser hasn't left you losing your wits.

"Mind your words, friend." Fedom fixed a sharp glare at Zaat. Age-wise, Fedom was 10 years older.

"How rude of me. But lately, you've been acting strange." Strange, probably referred to how he was recently sticking to Prince Gil Mephius all the time. Leaving the still insistent Zaat, Fedom hurried along. For Fedom who should have been on the very same anti-imperial faction, there was no other way but for him to seemingly change his allegiance.

That damned Zaat, curses! Making a face as if he knows everything, he plans to test me, eh?

To start with, Fedom never held any good will towards Zaat. There were plenty of competent intellectuals around, but for Fedom's knowledge alone, many big-shots had clearly come to him for favours. In the case of the peace talks, after unfastening a historical document, "That country's precedent was so and so", "According to former traditions, this and that should be done," and one by one brought out old information that left the others quite dumbfounded.

To be treated as a coward, of all things!

Far from it, Fedom had crossed a far more dangerous line in voicing his concerns to the emperor than Zaat ever had. In terms of risks alone, his plan was immeasurably more dangerous. And this plan was finally about to enter the stage where it could be implemented. Thinking about it left him lost in thought, but

"What's wrong?" Orba asked, staring at Fedom as he gave off a creepy expression.

"While wondering why you suddenly went quiet, your complexion turned blue, then red. You seem very sick."

"Shut your mouth," Fedom cursed out in embarassment. They were in the prince's room within the Main Palace. Just in case, he had pretended to bring a get-well present, though Fedom behaved slovenly regardless.

"That aside, what about you? If you keep going out to check on the current situation, you won't be able able to recover. You don't have all the time in the world. Dinn, how do you explain this sorry state?

Precisely because the finally time drew nearer, he must not be impatient with Prince Gil's education to guarantee success. He aimed the brunt of his frustrations towards Dinn, the page in charge of his education.

"I can't believe this," Gil Mephius grumbled.

After letting out everything he wanted to say, Fedom immediately left. Gil gave a big yawn, having read through all of the Mephian history books spread out on the table without rest until a short while ago.

"It's as if I was a new sword-slave about to enter the fray in the arena for the first time all over again. Those guys generally don't get a chance to appear a second time though."

"In any case, Fedom-sama was right to scold you," Dinn said as he placed down a full remaining cup of tea. "If you would only try harder. Then you could take on the prince's appearance in public without putting him to shame, and yet, at this rate two, three, even ten years wouldn't be enough."

"Table manners, the study of Mephian culture, memorizing the names of successive generations of emperors and their accomplishs by heart, and spending one hour a day standing in front of a mirror correcting my posture and smile; these are things I might not use my whole life. What's the point in continuing this?"

"All of it is necessary."

"I'm fed up with learning the old geezer's face and name. Anyway, bring the military writings over. You can place them next to those records of recent battles."

He lay his body down on the couch, whilst pretending not to hear Dinn's reproaches. Just now, Fedom seemed to be irritated for some reason, but for Gil—the gladiator Orba also formerly known as the Iron Tiger—his pent up emotions were no smaller in size than Fedom's.

He had been picked up by Fedom to act as a body double, but Orba never had any intention of only doing as he was told from the beginning. Even if he had to make use of this position, he would accomplish his goal:

To get revenge on the people that took everything from him. And to search for all the things he had lost.

He had finally reached the point where, with his own hands, he could bring himself closer to the many goals he held that couldn't be granted with the status of sword-slave. But the situation had reached a stand-still.

"Today, another twenty meeting requests had to be turned down. It is Rodloom-sama's fifth time by request of Ineli-sama and for Baton-sama—if you remember his name, one of the prince's best friends—he has come twice. One month of valuable time has already passed since your first campaign, and it will only seem more and more unusual."

For this one month, Fedom had confined Orba within the prince's room. Under the pretext that the mental strain from his first campaign and reality of the circumstances over the several days had caused his physical condition to crumble, he was not allowed to participate in official business and prohibited from having personal meetings with the large number of people who sought to get closer to him. During this time he devoted himself to Orba's education in making him more prince-like, no matter how little, as part of his plan.

But within that month, Orba naturally also had to build up his knowledge, and at least master manners. He was forced to endlessly repeat these activities. Unable to search for his mother, brother, and Alice's whereabouts, he only spent his time on meaningless extravgance that served to only test his patience to its limits.

"Because Fedom-sama isn't aware of the current situation here, he's convinced that he settled everything with the words "Refuse the meetings," but he really needs to put himself in the position of the one refusing. Even though I went through great lengths to make the prince presentable after the first campaign, now I have to deal with this." Dean grumbled his complaints, but suddenly faltered.

"Are you a fool?" Orba interrupted. "If i'm still struck with horror from my first campaign. then they will wonder what the Prince-sama was doing when the battle took place, finding he did not abide by decree to go into battle, only to be shaking in his boots.

"W-Would you like to go for a stroll?"

"That was something I thought up. Isn't it fine, the former prince was this kind of person. Instead, this would clear us of suspicions."

The problem is,

While joking around, Orba thought of another matter. When Fedom had come just moments ago, he never addressed his claims.

of the two, which is the real 'fool'

A body double would normally only act the role during essential times. There should be no need to set up a double especially when the palace was normal. Fedom had subsequently claimed it was because there risks of assassination even in the capital city of Solon, which should have been a sufficient explanation, but Orba obviously didn't buy it.

And also.

When the battle at Zaim Fortress had ended, Fedom accidentally let out that no one else knew of the fact the prince had been substituted for a body double. On that account, Fedom might be the only one involved in this plan he set up. If that were to be true, even the resilient Orba—who was beside death's door during his two years as a sword-slave—couldn't possibly not have felt the ice-cold chills.

No one else knowing would imply that Fedom must be deceiving all of the Mephians, himself excluded. Orba also couldn't allow himself to take a break no matter what. Because it was a problem that his life hanged on.

"Mephius' founding festival is approaching. It is a festival that gathers the whole country together. If you do not show make an appearance here, things will take a bad turn. Just when will Fedom-sama..."

At that moment, the bell was rung. Dinn responded by leaving. Beyond the door, a voice could be heard from a small room facing the corridor. It sounded Ineli. Immediately after Emperor Guhl had lost his wife, he married a second wife and her daughter, Ineli, became Gil's younger stepsister.

Once the heated discussion ended, Dinn returned. He gave off a face of total exhaustion.

"That person ranks as the most difficult."

"What happened?"

"The usual 'Let's go hang out' invitation with your various close friends and 'Instead of being holed up in that room with that of weak body his, he needs some recreational activity' remark."

"I see," Orba said, somewhat occupied with other thoughts. "Back then, what did Gowen say to you?"

"Eh? Oh, he asked whether we could go together to General Syan's residence after receiving his invitation."

"Then let's head over to where Ineli and the group is. Let's take care of these two engagements in one go. Pass the message to her for me."

"But Fedom-sama wants to..."

"It's better if I learn some faces up close . Lets go with this ruse: left with a nasty temper due to his bad shape, especially if it's within his own home no one will think much of it if the Prince acts a differently. If it's just for a bit, it'll work.

Orba by no means had any intentions of becoming the same as the flustered Dinn. He refused to take no action. No matter how big, essentially, in this one room no different from a prison, he passed days on end, and crushed any impatience and insecurities he held.

‘’This also counts as a battle. Completely becoming the prince will bring me one step closer in searching for Alice and my family, he murmured to persuade himself.

And within Solon was one other person, unable to dispel her growing irritation.

"How about this dress? How does it compare to the previous white and vivid one? Aah, but I wonder if the second dress might be better since it is a Mephian one. But then the tiara I brought from my own country won't match. I'll have to ask the maids here, and show my appreciation later."

"Uh huh."

In a room lying deep within the women's chamber, compared to the briskly working about Theresia, Vileena offered not even the slightest of movements. As a guest from Garbera, the fourteen year-old princess played around with the dresses and tried on multiple ornaments. Upon witnessing this sight, even the enemies of her parents would scowl at their own reflected appearance.

"Honestly, if it were the Garberan royal court, it wouldn't matter how famous the designer was. On behalf of the princess, upon sending out an official notice of her provisional needs, a pile of dresses would appear in her room without waiting a week. Though that is something the daughters of aristocrats and nobles scorn to their amusement.

"Right."

"Solon, being far from any sea trading base, holds few numbers of fine quality cloth. Even though it's my first set of tailored clothes, if I had known three months ago that an advance order was necessary, I would have taken measures before the wedding."

"Is that so."

"At this rate, if you were to become any more skillful at being dependent on others, there is a chance you might be no different from the queen, in other words your stepmother. You are begging to show off your tiara and clothes. To become a bride is to enter your partner's family. To become a harmonious couple, such endeavors are needed. ....Aah, but if I remember correctly, the current queen is the second wife. She probably holds no strong feelings for a son's bride, because she has not borne a son to inherit the position of prince."

Yes, and Vileena's form once more stood across the mirror. Theresia glared at her, and before long decided to take a deep breath.

"Vileena-sama!!"

"Eek!"

With a startled jump, Vileena instantly came to a halt. "Shouting in a person's ear like that..."

"If didn't use this volume of voice, then the current princess would not have heard me," Theresia puffed up her chest. "The princess is choosing clothes to wear at the founding festival, as if it's someone else's problem. Generally, women pick their clothes and make do with even the least bit suitable earrings and bracelets should they even have them, and then worriedly fuss over other significant matters. Anticipating for their fated partner, or possibly realizing their insecurities, indulge in their own worries. "

"On that matter, I have complete faith in you. If that is of your opinion."

"Oh my, I am humbly delighted to receive such a generous praise...and? What are you really thinking? Will you share them with me? Are you thinking about how you haven't rode in an air carrier recently, or how you want to fly in the sky. Or if it's not riding that you want to do, then how you could pass time doing maintenance, or maybe miss the smell of oil. Ah! It must be about why the prince hasn't come to visit you."

"That last one was completely uncalled for!"

Vileena scowled, but could not conceal the smile on her mouth. Theresia had always been a formidable foe. In a straight battle of wits, she would immediately get caught in her pace. And then with a shrug, "Well, since his return from his first campaign, he's shut himself in his room the whole time, the frail prince is somewhat like a princess."

"It has already been a month since, and he hasn't allowed anyone to see his face. For a maiden in love, it is a somewhat long time..."

"Anyhow!" Vileena forcefully interrupted, "I'm not hiding anything. I'm annoyed. How much longer will these awkward times continue. The scheduled day of the wedding has not been decided at all, and my range of activities has been restricted the entire time. I'll be frank. This is not the least bit fun!"

"Haaa"

With that assertion, Theresia had no clue on what to do. But she also planned to grasp her words. Whether or not Garbera still held any influence on it, the marriage ceremony had been postponed indefinitely. There were considerably few places Vileena could freely roam, and day after day her growing irritation only worsened.

Originally even within her Garberan homelands, she was an energetically active princess who would not be found in the same place after the hour was up. Spending whole days living her life doing everything within a small portion of the women's chambers was something she completely could not agree with. She would occasionally show up for tea and dinner parties after receiving an invitation from the noblewomen, but would experience nothing but agony as she put on the guise of a smiing face.

"The prince too, appears to have entirely forgotten that his fiancee is here. But during times like these, isn't there also that? He could exchange letters and then pass the message on to the chamberlain, right?"

"It is often used in stories. Secretly accompanying the letter would be a love poem."

"Even the receiver would naturally becoming increasingly irritated if he were unable to meaning behind the message. And to add to the problems, there is unrest within Mephius no matter how you look at it. The emperor refuses to offer an explanation for his judgement of Islan, who appears to have been imprisoned. There is nothing to gain from doing this in Garbera. His retainers, however, neither challenge nor protest, only taking sneak peeks at his countenance and taking care not to face his wrath."

It's exactly as she said, Theresia thought in her head. She usually did not make such an understanding statement based on rumours alone, but the Theresia who knew her so long kept silent.

"If the retainers cannot give counsel due to fear, then the prince himself should act as an intermediary for the retainers. He may find admonition disagreeable, but if it were Gil, his own son and successor, the emperor would be willing to lend an ear."

"Truly."

"And yet, he has not outstripped his poor physical condition nor be cured of the illness he received from the front. If he cares about his country's future, he should even be crawling forward. If it were my grandfather, he would hurl scoldings at you if you didn't have enough guts."

"Speaking of which, you want to hold a discussion with the prince, right? If that's the case, " Theresia said with a clap, "how should we go about the get-well present?"

"Get-well present?"

As a matter of fact, Theresia had been waiting for the right timing to broach the topic. There was no way Vileena didn't even consider the thought, but it was hard to say she would personally go to see her fiance, who had neglected her for so long.

"Come now, the princess was going to ensnare the prince right? To get him to fall madly in love with you, a certain degree of preparation will be needed. For this to happen, with this Theresia whom you've fully placed your trust, will to the best of her abilities, make you Mephius' most beautful woman!"

Theresia immediately began selecting clothes that would falter the soon-to-be husband.

Part 2

"What do you think of the matter regarding His Highness Gil?"

"What do you mean?" Ineli tilted her small head.

"You already know what I'm talking about," the one speaking said with a pout. He was Baton Cadmus.

"Even now I still can't believe it. For that crown prince Gil to acheive merits on his first campaign. "

Fastened to horses on the top of a hill, the youths waiting for Prince Gil neared their twenties and were all sons coming from a house of distinguished nobles. Even though this was true, none of them held the right as the oldest son to succeed their family. Baton too, was the third son of the Cadmus House and already turned 19, but spent everyday roaming about doing nothing.

The boys nodded in unison.

"That's true. Looks like theres quite a few rumours too."

"Rumours?"

"He was sent on his first campaign for the time being to be adorned with merits to appear more suitable as a successor, for one. To have actually acheived victory from battle, has left that side greatly devastated, and the escorting General Oubary seems to be lamenting over this."

"Isn't it a bit late? His Majesty the Emperor has already publicly denounced His Highness as useless, you know."

"Because it is now. The Mephius imperial family has no other appropriate male heir. If Ineli were to be married and get a husband, then things were be a different matter."

"Sorry about that," Ineli stuck out her tongue. "Well, the brother I know can't be connected to the one actively participating in the battlefield as I've heard."

"That's why, let's test it out," Baton smiled with a broad grin.

"Baton, whenever you get these thoughts, nothing good comes out of it."

"It'll be fine. No one's going to get hurt. I just want to see how things play out. Will that prince who bravely took part in the battlefield, when entangled with your neighbourhood thug, maintain his composure or not."

"I guess," Ineli purposely opened her mouth in the shape of a 0. "Really, you have such a great personality, Cadmus-sama!"

"Shh! Here they come."

The guards accompanying Prince Gil Mephius came into view along the hill's ridgeline. Everyone courteously gave their salutations. "Ah," Gil slovenly nodded back. He looked partially pale. It was more than justified for one bedridden and bearing the mental fatigue from the battlefield.

"It has been a while, your Highness. Now then everyone, salute Mephius' new hero" Baton said jokingly, causing everyone laugh. Gil kept a frowning face. The guard were sent back, and Gil got on horseback.

Orba joined with everyone else and they slowly rode off. Although not even half an hour had passed since the departure from the palace, going through the trouble to suggest riding on horseback was typical of Ineli. "The weather finally turned nice too," the remark came from the side. There were five another people accompanying her. According to the information Dinn had investigated beforehand, they were all sons of distinguished nobles, and had been acquaintances with the prince since he was a child.

For Orba, his first exposure to sunlight in the month felt great. The wind gently brushed across his face, and the fragrance that drifted from the palace flower gardens wasn't too bad either. But he never lowered his guard. While donning a scowl filled with displeasure, Orba carefully paid attention to their conversation. He needed to grasp their personality and confirm what kind of power relation he held with them.

These guys haven't been in a real fight.

"Could you cheer up a bit?" Ineli popped up from behind said with a smile. He was riding together with her. Her surprisingly slender arms wrapped around his waist.

"I really shouldn't have come." Orba averted her eyes. "I wanted to sleep for one more day."

"That won't do. If the prince had not received invited, then even we wouldn't be forced to meet with that boorish Rogue," The one who elatedly stuck out his tongue was Troya Hergei. Projecting himself from below the stomach of his mounted horse that left it as something to be pitied, was the young boy Baton Cadmus. In a bored tone, he began,

"What. Rogue's place again?

"That's right. Have you always had such a close relationship with him?"

"He supported me during my first campaign. He would endlessly tell me war stories. There was one time he had to accompany me."

"Oh? Support in battle, you say. No less expected of the future successor to the Mephius Empire, it seems that you cannot stay as the children that we are. Support and the like, with all due respect, those are unthinkable words you just spoke. Could it be that you've slowly outgrown those playful times with us?"

Only a year older than the prince—and and consequently two years older than Orba---Baton talking while assuming an air of superiority was, frankly, a mood dampener. He held a prominent physique, but his speech and mannerisms clearly showed he was nothing more than a child at heart.

That damned scumbag of a noble

It wasn't only Baton, but all of the other boys looked down on Prince Gil as well. To be hanging out with such a company of friends would mean Gil was either brain-dead or had a very capable personality.

Before long, they commanded a view of the Black Sword that stood in the centre of Solon to their left, as thunder rang across the hillside, they finally arrived at Rogue Syan's mansion.

Rogue opened the gates, and greeted everyone with a smile across his face.

"Oh, if it isn't the prince. I'm sorry for troubling you to come here. You're in good health, I hope. After all, the prince is still young. You eat to your heart's content to replenish your vigour, drink until your blood turns hot, and fend off all sorts of illnesses in a moment's notice."

The aged but hearty Rogue was already in the yard grilling meat, and laying out several types of wine. Before his arrival, Gowen exchanged grins with Orba in anticipation. Once the head supervisor, he now served as a commanding officer of the crown prince's Imperial Guards. They had hit it off in the previous campaign, as veterans of battle, and since then, have been on good terms.

"Oh?"

The neighboring Hou Ran had caught Baton's attention. Her skin shone a brilliant ebony under the bask of the sun.

"If this race of people isn't a rare sight in Solon. Whose guest is she?"

"She's my foster daughter. Hou Ran is also an acting officer in the Imperial Guards."

Gowen replied to the impolite Baton's question with a slight change in expression. After the battle at Zaim Fortress, she was not permitted to enter the Imperial Guards' living quarters. So Orba had given her another house, and made her live under Gowen's adoption.

Baton never stopped his curious stares. During this predicament, Hou Ran completely disregarded the boys' conversation. It really was Ran-like of her, and Orba could barely contain himself.

Rogue's wife came out, leading a small child by the hand and offered her greetings.

"This is Mephius' prince. Romus, aren't you also going to greet him?" Rogue urged the child.

He was a boy about twelve, thirteen years old, and possessed an atmosphere similar to Dinn's that differed him from an outspoken boy, and a mouth that only let out slight mumbles. He quickly sank back behind Rogue.

"That's a cute grandson you have there"

"Not at all! He's a good-for-nothing son."

And with just that outburst, Ineli refrained herself from voicing any further impressions. Rogue's wife certainly seemed far younger than he was.

"The only trait he has inherited is that cowardice of mine. Even now, he is afraid to go out in the company of others. It makes me wonder if he will be able to safely elevate himself in conducting with adult affairs."

The founding festival would be held next week. Of course, various events and ceremonies were arranged, and amongst them would be a coming-of-age ceremony for the sons of nobles and distinguished families. And also, was an event unimaginable to any other country: public riding on a dragon's back. The ceremony used baby dragons barely several months old, but whose fangs were more than enough to bite through an adult in his prime and kill him. In the past, victims would pop up in this same way every year.

Unlike the past, it was rarely held at present. Once every few years, the Syan Household, bearing a lineage of military commanders, would hold an event to show off their prided sons. But this time, Rogue surely intended to participate himself.

"Could I ask your highness to give up on this master of his house? Such a ceremony is entirely impossible for Romus. All he will remember is the atrocious scene that will unfold."

"Stop it. You dont' need to grace this crown prince with your household circumstances. Don't worry, he'll train hard for this day. Right, Romus?"

Romus offered neither assent nor dissent, only gazing up at his father in faintheartedness, unable to decide whether he was more afraid of the dragon or of angering his father.

Rogue had borrowed a young dragon from the army's military training camp for Romus to practice and get accustomed to.

"One day, I feel he will want to enter a training school to become a Winged Dragon Officer. But first, Romus must be able to exude a noble spirit before large crowds.

A winged dragon—literally a dragon with wings, was however, an existence found only in the southern volcanic islands of the planet.

Referred to as winged dragon officers in Mephius, these hundred or more qualified leaders were selected and tasked with the operation of flying vessels, namely Dragon Ships. Rogue Syan himself was a winged dragon officer and held the authority to take command of entire fleets.

"Now, if you're done with your meal then go take care of the dragons, Romus. You need all the practice you can."

Romus once again gave a conventional farewell in response to his father's words and took his leave.

Orba and the others remained seated, as the servants of the Syan househould cut the meat and vegetables into pieces, and prepared the wine. Orba refused the wine with a hand gesture. He never had a strong tolerance for alcohol, and who knew what he might let out in a drunken stupor. During the course of their meal, Rogue told stories of the battlefield. He had to answer to Orba's safety above all. His other comrades were of little interest to him.

"We aren't exactly interested in your story." Baton bluntly pointed out. The only one who showed interest was surprisingly, the female Ineli. She listened intently to the circumstances revolving around the battle in excitement.

"Princess, I can see you hold the spirit of a warrior." Rogue said brimming with delight. "I wish my own son would be like that."

The story eventually reached the point where thanks to the prince's quick wittedness, they were able to march into the fortress where several strong warriors lay in wait. And then Ineli suddenly clapped her hands as she remembered something.

"That's right. I've always been meaning to hear about it if I ever met brother. The one who defeated Ryucrown was a gladiator, wasn't it? I was really surprised when I heard his name. Brother, do you remember him? You know, that Iron Tiger Orba!

Orba, who was doing nothing more than drinking tea at the moment, entered into a choking fit.

"You saw it at Ba Roux, right? The one who saved me from that Sozos dragon!"

"Y-Yeah."

"Did you know he became a member of your Imperial Guards? If that's the case, then couldn't you let me meet him one time?"

"What's going to happen when you meet the supposed gladiator?"

Not minding Baton's grimace,

"I never thanked him for that time he saved me from the dragon. And I wanted to talk with the one who personally exchanged blows with General Ryucrown. Just what kind of gentleman was General Ryucrown, and how skilled was he was with a sword? Doesn't thinking about it leave you trembling in excitement? I'm so close to the person who practically experienced the scene that would leave its mark in history!

Ineli continued to be engrossed in her talk. Without realizing she had made Orba's expression darken,

"Ahh, if only Ryucrown had been captured, Orba would once more be one-on-one fights in the arena. And if the battle at the fortress could redone, had Orba managed to take the head of Ryucrown, even the festivals would bustling at their peak—"

Boom! Orba had slammed his cup onto the table, causing Ineli's voice to taper off. Orba was trembling. And everyone's attention quickly turned towards him.

"Prince."

The one who leaned his body forward was Gowen. Tea was poured into Orba's empty cup. The surrounding eyes stayed fixed on Orba, urging him not to be so emotional. Orba drew back his chin and gave a nod.

Facing Ineli, "You will soon," he said hoping to smooth things out.

"Really?"

"But assuming you do meet him, he's really not an interesting person. He also has no proper etiquette. All he'll do is leave you with unpleasant thoughts."

"Well, that's acceptable. I'm rather lenient with that. I don't expect the different people of this world to adopt a similar behavior. You can't chat in the same language with your dragon after years of tending to its needs, can you?

Orba made an effort to prevent his feelings of discomfort from showing on his face. The incident with Hou Ran suddenly weighed on his mind. He did not want to make cause undue trouble to the girl who told him of the dragon's 'voice' in the conversation, but she was clearly not present as usual.

While everyone was having a pleasant chat, Baton took the opportunity to leave his seat. Orba noticed that, as he was walked, his eyes darted around restlessy, as if he was searching for someone.

In a place across the mansion, on the other side of the garden was an established cell. And within it was a child Baian. Its length was roughly two meters. Since a while back, the dragon had been lowering its head and incessantly sticking its forked tongue in and out, hissing menacingly at Romus who stood before the cage.

He kept his distance for a while, eyeing the Baian in horror, but he braced himself and holding a bundle of meat from the garden in his hand, he approached closer. With legs nearing full development and claws as sharp as a sword, it could hardly be called a baby dragon.

Romus quickly tossed the meat. But, it landed directly in front of the cage. Romus approached no further, trying his best in an attempt to kick it in.

Gawrr, the dragon roared, as it violently rammed its head against the cage. Baton fell backwards and frantically tried to scurry away. The Baian stuck its long tongue through the gap and slipped the food into its mouth.

"You!"

The childish Romus lost his temper. "You, you, you, you, you!" He took a three-pronged spear leaning beside the cage into his hand. It was a tool for use against dragons. The ends were blunted, so that it could be shoved in between the cage bars without wounding the dragon, but Romus brandished the weapon as if he were about to slay his foe and gave a thrust to the dragon's head.

The dragon shook its head as it gave out loud wails. He thrust a second time, and on the third, he struck near the eye. He pursued the overwrought, retreating dragon with deep thrusts. As he was doing so, his hand was suddenly grabbed from the side, startling Romus.

It was Hou Ran. The hand flung him to the side. Romus once again lay on his bottom, as the roars of the dragon reverbrated with the force of a cannon in his ear. Using its rearfoot to stand, the dragon proceeded to bare its fangs as it clung to the cage. Romus' face turned pale. He was thrown off his guard, and let himself be drawn closer where he intended to attack in one fell swoop.

"Be careful."

For a moment, Romus wasn't sure if she was speaking to him or the dragon. Then the girl stretched her hand through the cage, gently stroking the Baian's throat.

He watched in amazement, as the Baian who didn't listen to anything until just recently, emitted a gentle groan, stopped standing on its rear feet, and lowered its head. Hou Ran bent down and caressed its forehead.

"Come."

Ran extended her other hand and called Romus over. Partially pale hair could be seen on her dark skin. Committing this mysterious figure to heart, he nervously brought himself closer.

"Are you scared of the dragon?"

"I-I'm not scared. I mean, he could attack you even like this."

"Because you're afraid of the dragon, the dragon is also afraid of you."

"Eh?"

Romus winced, not because of the unexpected remark, but because she grasped his hand and brought it in the direction of the cage.

"Baby dragons especially, have hearts like a mirror. It reflects your own heart. Look into its eyes and feel it."

He took a breath, and gazed into the dragon's eyes of glass. Of course, he couldn't perceive any of its emotions. But for some reason, he never let go of Hou Ran's hand, and he slowly, steadily brought himself to the closer to the dragon's scales—and touched it.

He did it a second and third time, and then heaved his shoulders and back. He wasn't scared. He felt a hot sensation transmitted to those parts, and also, an impact as if he received blows to his forehead.

When he realized what it was, he broke into tears, as Ran hugged his back.

"It's a strong child," Ran whispered into his ear. "And there is potential in him. You heard his 'voice', right? You don't have to be afraid of the dragon anymore. But you also shouldn't show your back too often. Dragons and humans are different; the way they tie a trusting relationship, the way they talk, the way they spend their time, and the way they get happy. You should spend some time understanding it."

"Well isn't this a sight for sore eyes."

The joke came as Baton Cadmus revealed himself. Romus, ashamed of his crying, quickly stood up and wiped his eyes. Baton approached in long strides and stopped in front of Hou Ran.

"You say you were in an all-male slave detention camp? Just what were you doing there? Did you help relieve the men of their boredom?"

Hou Ran stared back at him, unimpressed. Baton licked his hips, like a prey stalking a predator.

"You aren't too bad."

"Really."

"A woman like you that stinks of dragon dung once in a while isn't bad at all. Even if you're a part of the Imperial Guards, you must be bored, right? You should work in my mansion. I'll make it a good experience. Way better than those crude sword slaves or uselessly large dragons could ever give you."

Hou Ran was about to say something, when she suddenly glanced over. Leaning against the wall over Baton's shoulders was Orba, staring straight at her. In response, Ran faced the young noble, her lips creviced to reveal a stunning smile.

"I like strong men."

"That's right. And I have power," Baton grinned widely. "Enough to keep you."

"That's not good enough. You'll have to at least show me your strength, like this child did."

Ran pointed her hand towards Romus, and then to the Baian within the cage. "Ha," Baton sneered.

"Are dragons all the standard for you people of the Ryuujin Faith? If that kid can do it, there's no way I can't. I even brought down a Baian in last year's dragon hunting. A baby dragon like this is nothing."

With a crank of his shoulders, Baton stepped up to the Baian and touched its lowered head. Baton gave a triumphant smile and turned back around, not noticing how Hou Ran's gaze went through him, and focused on the dragon.

A string of saliva hung from the Baian's mouth, when it opened and gave a roar before it stood up.

"W-Whoa!"

The startled Baton jumped back. The dragon fervently extended its claws between the bars of the cage. Baton scrambled away, severely banging his hip in the process, not stopping until he was sure to have reached a safe place. His face was completely pale.

"That's too bad."

With a thin smile, Hou Ran flung back her hair and turned around, to give a despising glare at the figure. She came up to Orba. Before he could call out to her, she beat him to it.

"You were testing me."

She stomped on his feet. Orba jumped up from the unexpected assault.

"You were watching what I was doing. You knew it wasn't your place. And still you thought to bring our frendship closer. So you tested me."

"W-wait up. Hey, Hou Ran..."

It was exactly as she said, but Orba never imagined it would make her this mad. In a way, he understood less about a girl's feelings than of the dragons' 'voice'.

Part 3

Dinn used the time while the prince had gone out to thoroughly clean up the room. Doing so alone would have been too heavy a labor, so he spoke with the grand chamberlain and acquired help from several others. It wasn't unsual for several people to be tasked to look after a member of the imperial family. Fedom had arranged for Dinn alone, to be entrusted with the duty, for fear that Orba's true colors would be brought to light. The official reason was because the hot-tempered prince could trust no other chamberlain except Dinn.

In any case, he was finished shortly after noon. The other chamberlains took their leave, and as he left out a sigh of relief, the bell announcing visitors rang. The soldiers acting as the room bodyguards had rung it.

Somehow, Dinn had a bad feeling about this.

Translator's Notes and References

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