Madan no Ou to Vanadis - Volume 18 - Chapter 2.1

Chapter 2 – What Was Entrusted

In the distance a flock of birds made its way across the wintry sky with its background full of gray clouds. Seven days after they had departed from the camp of Arma Zirnitra, Tigrevurmud Vorn arrived at Silesia together with his travel companions. The sun had already passed its zenith.

Going by their plans, they should have arrived at the capital much faster, but they were forced to waste precious days on avoiding the territories ruled by lords who supported Valentina.

All the gates of the capital had been opened up, and long lines of merchants, workers, and travelers had formed at each of them. As long as the country was peaceful, the stream of visitors never ceased, even during the deepest winter. Tigre and the others got off their horses, and lined up together with all the other people waiting.

“Tigre, my mustache isn’t twisted, right?”, asked Gaspal behind the youth with a seriously depressed look on his face.

Tigre, Damad, and Gaspal had disguised their lower faces by adding a false mustache.

Laughing, Tigre retorted, “Don’t worry. It looks very natural.”

Naum was the one who came up with this disguise. Several days ago, he told the other three, “You guys have recently been in the capital, right? It’d be better for you to conceal your faces.”

“Is just a fake beard enough to deceive other people?” Gaspal had asked with his head tilted in doubt.

“It’ll be fine as long as people don’t recognize you guys at a glance,” had Naum answered with a nod. “If people who aren’t used to disguises go with something too elaborate, it’ll make it easier to see through it instead.”

Since the other three had seen the truth in what he was saying, they had decided to follow Naum’s advice.

“──Look.”

Naum pointed a finger at the top of the wall when they had advanced to a point not far from the gate. Flags with a circle of black and white in the center on a light blue ground fluttered in the wind next to Zhcted’s Black DragonZirnitra flags. Those were Osterode’s flags.

“Aww, shucks, the fun journey has come to an end, it looks like. At last we’re going to infiltrate enemy territory, huh?”, bantered Gaspal in a casual, jesting tone, probably trying to soften the group’s tension.

Lured in by that, Tigre burst into laughter, and even Damad, who had remained silent so far, couldn’t help but to let a chuckle escape. A smile also revealed itself on Naum’s lips. It wasn’t as though they had forgotten their mission of rescuing Eugene, but the four had doubtlessly enjoyed their little excursion thus far.

Tigre, Gaspal, and Damad were accustomed to traveling. Naum, on the other hand, had been able to gather some experience since he hadn’t traveled over such a long distance until now.

They had spurred on their horses, stopping over at villages and towns to resupply and gather information. Whenever they spotted groups of bandits and unknown military forces in the distance, they circumvented them. If they ran into bigger groups of beasts, they scooted in a hurry. They camped out during the cold nights while taking shifts on the night watch. And while surrounding pots filled with ukha, they had chatted about silly stuff, letting the laughter of three different nationalities echo into the surroundings. It was a journey for which the descriptors tense and lonely would be alien.

“Let’s go,” said Tigre, stowing away the recollections of those last few days deep in his memories.

Naum smoothly explained their circumstances to the soldiers standing next to the gate, and the four were allowed to pass without any of the guards suspecting anything.

Exiting the gate on the other side, Tigre’s group was immediately engulfed by a heated hustle and bustle. All kinds of stalls lined up on both sides of the main street, and their owners touted their wares with passionate praise. Salt-pickled pork hung in bundles from the edges of eaves, and bottles filled with olive oil, spices, vodka, and vino were arrayed up atop of stands that were covered by hemp cloths. Bread, draniki, kvass, and many other things were also up for sale.

Minstrelsmenestrel were thrumming their balalaika and gusli on free patches of land. Just as there was a girl dancing beautifully while freely whirling her multicolored cloths around, a man exhibited a puppet show by manipulating the strings with the fingers of both hands. The passerby enjoyed the performances and songs while buying food and drinks at the stalls.

“This is what you call peace,” commented Gaspal full of admiration while nimbly dodging the coming and going housewives and children.

“The capital’s guardians, eh…?”

Tigre muttered a term they had often heard during their travels. It represented the people’s evaluation of Valentina and Osterode’s army. When he was looking at this sight, doubts whether it was truly proper to try to overthrow Valentina welled up within him. What Valentina had done was unforgivable, but it was also true that she was a good ruler.

“What’s wrong for you to space out like this?”

Tigre came to his senses when Naum tapped his shoulder, “No, I just thought that it sure is lively here.”

Lebus’s knight apparently guessed from those words what Tigre wanted to say.

“Once we rescue the Earl of Pardu, it’ll be fine to leave the rest to him. I don’t know the earl well myself, but he was appointed to be the next king by late King Viktor. The Vanadis and you trust him as well. I think we can leave things to him.”

“Thank you,” answered Tigre.

It’s just as he says. I feel sorry about pushing the clean-up of what we’ve done on Eugene, but there’s a limit to what the Vanadis and I, as a stranger on these lands, can do. I think we won’t have a choice in cooperating with Eugene in some way to lower his burden, though.

When they reached the middle of the street, Damad stepped forward.

“It doesn’t look like anyone is tailing us. Let’s go.”

First they would go to a Muozinel merchant, who was close to Damad, and have him refer an inn to them. The capital was under the control of Valentina, and seeing how they didn’t know how long it’d take them to rescue Eugene, they should avoid staying at a normal inn. While walking behind Damad, Tigre lent half an ear to the talk of the people out on the street, but he heard something that surprised him. Gossip claimed that the many strange phenomena had vanished because of Prince Ruslan visiting the temple every day to offer his prayers.

──Is this also a plot devised by Valentina?

He found it a very likely story that Valentina would intentionally spread rumors fitting her own objectives when it became clear that Ganelon had perished and that no unusual phenomena would take place anymore. But, of course it was also possible for those, who idolized Prince Ruslan, to have decided upon this reason after searching for a way to explain why the phenomena had stopped all of a sudden.

“We also caught sight of His Highness in a temple before departing the capital, but…he didn’t look like he was praying to the gods at all.”

Gaspal had apparently heard the people talking as well. He spat out a sigh in bafflement. Because he had fought against Ganelon together with Tigre and the others, he most likely couldn’t come to terms with this kind of rumor.

“I’m sure His Highness will listen to us if we explain the circumstances to him later,” said Tigre to console his  friend who was just like an older brother to him.

Damad continuously proceeded from one side-road to another without ever getting lost. Gradually the noise started to fade into the distance.

Tigre was absorbed in his thoughts while pulling his horse and following Damad’s back. The current state of the capital he was witnessing right now, and the rhythmic clanking of the hooves might have become the trigger.

──Valentina said that she wants Osterode to prosper.

She mentioned it during their talk in the capital before he headed out to fight Ganelon. He believed those words to reflect her true thoughts. But, at the same time, he felt like something was off about them. They had heard that Valentina was taking part in the governmental affairs as First Prince Aide. But, she very likely believed that any hope for Ruslan’s comeback would be in vain, Tigre suspected. At least he couldn’t consider it any other way, going by her cold, indifferent tone from back then. And, Valentina apparently didn’t intend to dispel the accusations cast at Eugene either. If she had such an intent, she’d have proven Eugene’s innocence long ago.

If Ruslan succumbs to his sickness, and Eugene gets executed, the throne will be vacated. Just, I wonder who she’s planning to install there? Is she possibly trying to take the throne for herself?

When he reached that conclusion, a rather big shock hit Tigre.

I might be overthinking. But, it’d explain several things. Even the plot to establish a hierarchy among Vanadis might have been no more than the groundwork for her to become king. If only Sofy was here, Tigre thought, she’d add her own conjectures to the many pieces of information, and might have been able to provide me with valid opinions speaking for and against this conclusion.

Suddenly, an intense aroma of spices was carried over by the wind, causing Tigre to interrupt his brooding.

“We’ve arrived.”

Damad had stopped in front of a store, and was now looking back at Tigre. It was a fairly big weapons store with two floors. Wooden racks had been set up at the storefront, filled with curved swords as they were used by Muozinel in addition to the common swords with straight blades. Gauntlets with iron claws and bows were on display as well.

After Damad talked to a fat man, apparently the store owner, about something in Muozinel, he said to the other three while pointing at a side door of the building, “There’s a stable in the back. Once you tie the horses, enter through the door over there.”

Tigre’s group bowed at the owner, and went around to the back of the building. The rather small stable was deserted with not a single horse being held there, but once they led their four horses inside, it was immediately crammed to the limit. The men lowered the luggage from their horses, removed the harness, and wiped the horses’ bodies.

Once they had finished their brief work, they left the stable, and entered the building. As they passed through the door, they found a room that served as a working area and resting place. A Muozinel-native carpet covered the floor, and the room was equipped with a table and chairs. Several wooden boxes were stacked in a corner. The boxes were stuffed with swords, spears, and polishing as well as whetting tools.

A middle-aged woman stopped wiping the table in the middle of the room, and pointed at a stairway with a smile. Her dark brown skin immediately betrayed her Muozinel origin. Tigre suspected her to be the store owner’s wife.

The second floor appeared to be used as a storehouse. Over here, not only weapons, but also armors, shields, helmets, and many more things could be found. Tigre and his friends lit the lamp hanging from the ceiling, and somehow managed to secure themselves enough space by carrying sets of armors into a corner of the room.

Just as they finally sat down, the Muozinel woman from before brought them a meal. Damad was with her as well, carrying a tray with pottery cups for all of them.

What the woman placed down in front of them were boiled potatoes covered by melted cheese. The cheese’s fragrant aroma immediately stimulated their appetite, and all the more since they hadn’t eaten anything after a light meal in the morning. A peculiar aroma also stemmed from the cups Damad had brought with him.

Gaspal took one cup into his hand, sniffed at its content, and asked, “What’s this?”

Damad listed the names of several spices.

“It’s often drunk in our country to warm one’s body.”

“I’ve heard the winters are warm in Muozinel as well, though,” objected Naum while scrutinizing the pattern drawn onto the cup.

Damad laughed, “Compared to Brune and Zhcted, that is. But in the end, our winter is still cold.”

After thanking the woman who then went downstairs, the men sipped on their drink. It contained a strange sharpness within its warmth, triggering the men to exhale deeply.

Next they bit into the potatoes. The salty cheese and potatoes melted alongside their heat inside their mouths. It was necessary to chew slowly so as to not burn their tongues, but the dish’s tastiness went beyond expectation. Not only Tigre, but the other three as well broke into smiles.

“Where in the capital are we here?”

Damad cocked his head in puzzlement upon Tigre’s question while chewing on his potato.

“Let’s see…around 400 to 500 alsin east of the royal palace.”

The royal palace’s circumference was filled with noble residences. The closer to the palace a lord was able to live, the more honor it granted him, but questions of security also played a role. If an enemy broke through the wall, the noble mansions would serve as bulwarks to protect the palace. Considering all that, you could easily say that this place was rather close to the palace.

“When you reach this neighborhood, you just need to grab a Muozinel and ask them about Shayahl’s store, and they’ll know.”

“Thanks, and also thanks for the meal.”

After finishing their potatoes, Tigre and Naum stood up. Gaspal was about to also get up, but Naum held him back with a hand.

“Tigre and I will be enough. You two wait here or gather information in an inconspicuous way. It’d be welcome if we could learn a bit about Arma Zirnitra’s movements.”

Tigre and Naum left Shayahl’s store. The two were wearing cloaks and had lowered their hoods over their eyes. Tigre hid his chin underneath a false beard. The piece of paper Elen had given him contained the names of three people. After engraving all that was written on the paper into his mind, he had burned it yesterday. They planned to visit all three before the day was over.

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————— End of Part 1 —————