Madan no Ou to Vanadis - Volume 18 - Chapter 2.7

Valentina was still wrestling with her governmental work in her office when she received the report of Eugene’s jailbreak. Ever since she had started to rule over Osterode, she had never neglected her official work. This might be an outcome from her having watched various nobles relying on Natasha during her childhood and having firmly promised herself to not become like them.

First and foremost Valentina ordered the officials to ascertain the safety of Ruslan and Valery. After all, it wasn’t said that the goal of the collaborators was limited to Eugene’s escape. If one had to assume potential targets in the palace, it’d be Ruslan, Valery, and Valentina.

Next she ordered a search for Eugene while expanding the search radius across the entire capital. It’d lead to the capital becoming somewhat noisy in the middle of the night, but Valentina regarded that as inevitable evil.

Ruslan and Valery’s safety was confirmed in no time. After the civil official left while panting heavily, Valentina turned her attention to the documents that still required checking.

‘I think it’ll be fine to wrap these up after noon. After all, I’ll most likely need to stay up until dawn. Now then, I wonder how things will play out.

After having become the First Prince Aide, Valentina had loosened the surveillance of Eugene and decreased the number of his guards. It didn’t go as far as letting him out of the prison, but she had arranged for him to receive three meals a day and get a daily change of linen clothes. She had also permitted him to wipe his body with a soaked, thick cloth.

All these measures followed two notions. First, her consideration towards those still backing Eugene. If she were to treat Eugene too harshly, it’d only fan their antipathy towards her. It was better to keep things moderate. Second, for the sake of inducing Eugene to escape. If he were to escape, Valentina could call Eugene’s culpability into question all over again, making people suspect that he had run away because the suspicion of him having colluded with the Muozinel was actually true.

Previously, she had told Miron that it was necessary to choose the time for Eugene’s execution wisely, but this wasn’t just a means to soothe Miron’s anger.

──Him having escaped through the southern gate means he’s headed for Pardu, just as expected, huh?

Valentina knew that the chief gatekeeper at the southern gate supported Eugene. Her having left him in his post despite his connection to Eugene stemmed from the chief gatekeeper being a capable man and her not really minding it, even if Eugene were to flee.

“It’d have been perfect if we could have caught him at the very moment he tried to leave through the city gate, but I guess the saying that not everything always develops as one wishes holds true.”

However, this was the moment when Valentina stopped smiling. Having received a certain report, she immediately called Miron over.

The elderly Grand Chamberlain appeared after a quarter koku. He had changed into new clothes, but a big, blue bruise could be seen around his right eye. Seeing Miron pull a triumphant face as if he was a hero who had slain an evil dragon, Valentina knitted her eyebrows.

“Your Excellency, according to reports you have stabbed Earl Pardu with a dagger.”

Being told so with a cold, low voice full of indifference, Miron finally started to feel that something was out of place.

She hadn’t asked him why he had been in such a place late at night because she had previously received reports from the guards about his visits. His visits to the dungeon for the sole reason of insulting Eugene.

“Hmm, realizing that the bastard tried to run away, I got a bit too heated…”

Valentina lightly sighed at Miron’s excuse. However Miron himself didn’t understand the problem with this.

As this was plain obvious, the black-haired Vanadis suppressed her emotions to the utmost while explaining, “I should have explained this to you beforehand, Your Excellency. Namely, that we would get rid of him for another crime, if we assume that Earl Eugene truly concluded a secret agreement with Muozinel.”

Miron nodded while blinking many times over. Valentina continued, “If he tried to escape, it’d have been fine to just let him do that. This would become a perfect excuse to publicly denounce the earl. However, as things stand, rumors about him having run away because you tried to murder him will very likely spread. It’ll affect your popularity, of course, but also the honor of His Highness Ruslan who has been trusting you.”

“That’s…I’m terribly sorry…”

Seeing Miron groan while looking totally dejected, Valentina judged that this much scolding would be enough. In most cases, she regarded rebuking someone as a duty and not a joy.

“Your Excellency, please take a rest for today. In exchange, I will have you put in even more effort starting with tomorrow. It might sound harsh, but I would be troubled if you indefinitely remained discouraged because of a single blunder,” she told him with a voice intending to calm him.

At last Miron lifted his face, however regret over his own failure still revealed itself on his wrinkled face.

“I understand. Then…please allow me to take you up on your kind offer and get some rest.”

Miron left the office, his shoulders slumped.

Now alone, Valentina stared at the wall and murmured, “It might have been better for him to have retired when King Viktor had passed away.”

As grand chamberlain he certainly possesses the necessary abilities. But, once he gets involved in matters going beyond his station, he makes mistakes. It might be best to get rid of him before those mistakes drag me down as well.

However, Valentina couldn’t quite make up her mind on this. Because Miron had served as grand chamberlain for a long time, it’d be difficult to find a suitable successor on a beck’s call. And right now Valentina was too busy with her governmental affairs to spend time for a search. Moreover, since she actually felt that the number of people she could trust was steadily growing, she thought it’d be fine to postpone this particular matter.

All these reasons played a role, but above all, the most pressing concern for Valentina was the question how Arma Zirnitra, the runaway Eugene, and Adelaiyda’s army would move. After all, her ambitions would finally bear fruit, once those three sides were completely obliterated.

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After rescuing Eugene and putting a fairly big distance between them and Silesia, Tigre and Gaspal halted their horses and treated Eugene’s injury. Then they waited for daybreak, before rushing into a town situated along the main road. There they looked for a doctor and had him examine the wound once more. The doctor smeared a medical salve on the wound and had Eugene drink a herbal decoction.

However, the doctor also told them at the time of leaving, “He probably won’t last for more than ten days.”

Afterwards they spurred on their horses for another four days, before finally entering the Pardu Earldom. Tigre and Gaspal felt that they should let Eugene rest at this point, but it was none other than the earl himself who entreated them to continue the journey. At first the two men wavered, but in the end they granted Eugene’s request.

Advancing through the earldom, they needed another day to enter a town called Zabrdje, where the three stayed at an inn. They avoided divulging Eugene’s identity by calling over the town’s mayor.

As might be expected from the inn being called the best in Zabrdje, the rooms were spacious and clean. The beds were decent, too. Tigre and Gaspal carefully placed Eugene on one of the beds. At this point, all vitality had drained from Eugene’s face, making it look like a white sheet. At times his breathing became rough and sweat started to gush out all over his body.

──The medical treatment was too late.

While wiping off the sweat and having Eugene slowly drink some water, Tigre was tormented by violent pangs of regret.

In the end, I didn’t manage to save Eugene. I only caused him even more pain by taking him out of his prison. Even though Elen, Albatov, and the others trusted me enough to leave everything to me, I failed them.

“──Brother,” Tigre called out to the other young man, who stood stock still while being overwhelmed by the same spell of helplessness, with a trembling voice. “Could I have you go to Litomysl…?”

Litomysl was the central city of Pardu. It was the home of Eugene’s mansion where his wife and daughter should be right now. Eugene couldn’t be moved any longer. Tigre could tell since they had ridden the same horse until yesterday. All they could now do was to at least call his family.

“Got it. I’ll take your horse as well.”

Gaspal quickly pulled himself together. Or maybe he simply tried to devote all his attention to the task he had been given.

After Gaspal swiftly left the room, Tigre focused on watching over Eugene. Right now it was Tigre’s duty to keep him alive for as long as possible.

“Where…are we…?”

The madder red spilling into the room through the small window had maybe flickered on the backside of Eugene’s closed eyelids. The old earl weakly opened his eyes halfway.

Tigre brought his mouth close to Eugene’s ear and told him the name of the town.

Looking up to the ceiling, Eugene faintly murmured, “So I came home…”

“Very soon your wife and daughter are going to arrive here. Please…” Tigre grabbed Eugene’s hand as if to encourage him.

As of yet, his palm still remained warm, but his grip was mostly powerless.

“Uh huh,” answered Eugene before breathing out thinly.

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As he had been asked by Eugene, Tigre told him what had happened so far. He gave the earl a full account on him leaving the capital to fight Ganelon, him pooling his power with everyone in the land of Zagan to destroy Ganelon, them forming Arma Zirnitra to fight Valentina, their group separating from Elen and heading to Silesia in order to rescue Eugene, and so on…

The times of Eugene being awake were short, and because they were quite irregular on top of that, it took Tigre quite a bit of time to finish the whole story. Tigre worried whether Eugene would be able to comprehend the details about Ganelon and the demons, but even so, he decided to be frank about it. His decision was also grounded on the notion that it’d make little sense to keep his words ambiguous in front of a dying man.

Probably because he had heard reports about the various, strange phenomena, Eugene lent the youth a careful ear while nodding at each and every of his explanations.

Tigre also told him about his relationship with Elen. Although the earl exclaimed, “Hoh,” with a happy voice, he didn’t look overly surprised. Tigre suspected that Eugene might have had a vague inkling.

When he reached the point of talking about Valentina, Eugene suddenly said as if having thought of it for some reason or another, “Maybe she’s trying to become the ruler…”

Tigre’s eyes widened. It was the same thought he had when he had visited the capital. He guessed that Eugene’s intuition as ruler might have led him to that conclusion. Or maybe Valentina’s hidden ambition had started to seep out on the surface to such an extent that Eugene and Tigre could now sense it.

However, Tigre couldn’t probe any further because Eugene fell asleep when he continued to talk about this topic.

And then, in the afternoon two days later, Gaspal came back. However, he had brought with him an unexpected pair of people in addition to Eugene’s wife Marina and his daughter Alyssa. Tigre stared dumbstruck at the two who stood in the door.

“Elen, Lim…”

His lover and her best friend.

All four of them had disheveled hair and traces of dried sweat stained their faces. Their overcoats were terribly dirty with dust and mud. Exhaustion clearly dyed their pale faces, but if you considered the distance from Litomysl, it was evident that they didn’t have a chance to get any decent sleep.

As soon as Marina saw her husband, her eyes flew wide open in shock and fright. She rushed over to his bed with her legs staggering. Even Alyssa, who was usually full of life, had lost her natural cheerfulness as she grasped her father’s hand while standing next to her mother.

Seeing the three like that, Tigre quietly stood up as he didn’t want to remain here as an outsider during their family reunion.

“Please wait…Earl Vorn.”

He was just about to leave the room, but Eugene stopped him. Once Tigre turned around with a puzzled look, Eugene sat up on the bed with the help of his wife and daughter. When he spotted Elen and Lim, a smile formed on his lips.

“Eleonora, Limalisha, you’re here as well? I’d like all of you to keep me company for a bit.”

The latter part of his request was accompanied by an audible strain in his voice, but the gleam of a strong will nested in Eugene’s eyes. Tigre, Elen, Lim, and Gaspal exchanged looks, but once Marina firmly asked them to follow her husband’s wish, they gathered around his bed.

“I’m really sorry…” Eugene apologized to his wife with his beard, which had grown long, swaying. “But, I…must accomplish my duty. I want to use my remaining time for that sake. Please forgive me.”

Marina faced her husband and nodded with a face on the verge of tears while supporting his back. The raging emotions triggered by the imminent death of her loved one had robbed her of the ability to form words.

Eugene exhaled lightly, and after straightening his back, he looked up to Tigre.

“While lying on this bed I had brooded about what I should do for the sake of this country.”

His voice wasn’t loud by any means, but it reverberated loud and clearly in the ears of everyone present. The miniscule amount of passion carried by each and every word might be fragments of the little life force remaining in him. Eugene had chosen to use up all of it at this moment. For the sake of achieving what he had to achieve.

“I’d like you to become the king of this country. As the one succeeding me.”

It felt as if time had come to a grinding halt. Even the faint airflow, their breathing, and everything else had stopped. At least, Tigre was assailed by such a feeling. Everyone stared at Eugene in shock, all their movements ceased. It was such a shocking statement.

“King…?”

His own mumbling allowed Tigre to come to his senses as it shook the air inside the room. Tigre, who had finally grasped what he had been told during the space of a single breath, was utterly confused.

“W-What are you talking about…?”

“I’m serious. In the first place, I wouldn’t be able to make jokes about something like this,” declared Eugene after coughing, “I’ll be able to entrust this country…to someone who would inherit my will. I told you the other day, didn’t I? Only the one inheriting the will of his predecessor can become the next ruler.”

Tigre nodded. Those were the words Eugene told him during the hunt which Ruslan had held for Tigre at the beginning of winter.

“Are you saying that I should become that inheritor?”

Tigre’s voice quivered. His whole body was numbed by tension and agitation, making it already a chore for him to keep standing. But, Tigre sent power into his legs, trying to stop them from buckling.

Leaving aside how he should answer this, Tigre knew that he had to accept everything that Eugene felt and was trying to tell him. This didn’t stem from a sense of duty, but his obstinacy and pride forced him to do so.

“Indeed. You might think that we haven’t spoken that much with each other. But, Eleonora is next to you.”

Distinctively understanding the meaning behind his words, Elen’s cheeks dyed crimson.

Eugene shifted his eyes to Elen and smiled all of a sudden, “I didn’t teach Eleonora and Limalisha only about etiquette. I believe I also passed on how they should act as rulers. Both of them have properly inherited my pride and soul as ruler. If you say you’re standing next to Eleonora, the same applies to you as well.”

“But, I’m not a Zhcted. I’m a Brunian,” Tigre squeezed out with a pained voice, “Would the people of Zhcted approve of a foreigner becoming their king? Wouldn’t this lead to one battle after the other, ultimately ending in the nation’s ruin?”

“At present, it’ll likely lead to that outcome, no matter who might be named as next king.” Eugene’s voice carried a grimness that didn’t permit any objection. “Ilda has died. According to your story, His Highness Ruslan will soon pass away as well. I’ll also be gone soon. The other possible successors are too young or ridden by illness that would make kingship too much of a burden…”

Marina and Alyssa’s faces twisted when he curtly announced his own impending death. Eugene placed a hand on Alyssa’s head who had started to cry. He slowly and gently stroked his daughter’s head as her father.

Eugene faced Tigre again.

“You said that you’re no Zhcted. But, despite being no Zhcted, you’ve earned the trust of four Vanadis. Do you understand the gravity of such a feat in this country? You’ve managed to achieve something neither King Viktor, nor His Highness Ruslan, nor Ilda, nor me could pull off.”

A spirit as it could only be released by someone standing at the abyss of death overwhelmed Tigre. The youth was tricked by the optical illusion of Eugene’s thin body having manifold grown in size. Gritting his teeth and mustering all his willpower, Tigre did his utmost in order to prop up himself.

“That’s because I’m not the king of Zhcted.”

“Are they going to stop placing their trust in you once you become king? Are you going to shirk your efforts in maintaining a relationship of mutual trust with them?” Eugene scowled at Tigre as if having become exasperated with him.

“Of course not.”

This was the only answer Tigre could give.

“But…but…if I seize power, I might change.”

Tigre’s words were shaped by his anxiety and fear towards the unknown. A huge nation, a mighty army, a huge number of citizens, the enormous riches brought about by them, and chief vassals who would all bow their heads in front of him. Tigre lacked the confidence that he’d be able to stay himself without giving in to the power while being in an environment that would do his bidding.

The look in Eugene’s eyes suddenly softened. Maybe he had evaluated the youth highly for honestly stating his feelings, or maybe he laughed at the youth’s worries being no more than needless anxiety.

“I have watched the four years of Eleonora’s rule as Vanadis. You said that you want to respect that. That’s not simply because of love, but likely because you believe Eleonora’s rule in Leitmeritz to be a good one. That’s why I’m entrusting my will to you.”

Eugene closed his mouth, apparently having said everything he had to say. Silence took over.

It was Tigre’s quiet voice that pushed that silence into a corner rather than tearing it apart.

“Could you give me some time to think it over? Around a quarter koku, if possible.”

Eugene looked up to Tigre and nodded lightly. After confirming his consent, Tigre bowed at Marina and Alyssa, and exited the room. Following him, Elen, Lim, and Gaspal also left. Only the family now remained inside the room.

Shortly thereafter, sobbing shook the air.

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——————— End of Part 7 ———————