It wasn’t as though Elen had forsaken the soldiers from the bottom of her heart. Far from it. In reality, she believed her to be responsible for their defeat. At night, she invited Lim to her own tent, her first question being about the soldiers’ state.
“It seems to have been quite a blow to them. They’re so quiet that it makes me actually worry.”
“Did I go too far?”
“No, I think that much was the right dose. If they didn’t regret it for anyone to see, they’d earn themselves the resentment of the other armies, beginning with Olmutz. By the way──” Lim changed the topic, “──as for me, I’d like you to be as angry with Lord Tigrevurmud as you had been with the soldiers.”
“Me?”
Elen stopped her hand just as she was to bring the silver cup to her mouth, frowning.
Lim nodded with an extremely serious expression, “He won’t hear anything but thanks from me. But, as supreme commander and the one leading our cause, it’s wrong for him to take such actions.”
“I thought you pushed him to become king while knowing his ways, though,” answered Elen, causing Lim to fall silent with her eyebrows knitted. Elen further added, “I understand what you want to say, but since he said he’d become king, Tigre must demonstrate that he’s fit to be our king. Many soldiers got a better view of him because of his rescuing me. I’d like you to keep valuing that part of him, instead.”
“In short, you’re saying that we ought to move in order to protect Lord Tigrevurmud while approving of his recklessness?” Lim groaned with an expression as if she was enduring a headache.
She comprehended what Elen was telling her, and it was indisputable that she liked that part of Tigre, but when she considered how she’d need to continue supporting his rash actions, countless scoldings surfaced in the sea of her thoughts.
Around the same time, Tigre welcomed Regin in his tent. She thanked him for his courageous fight, but that wasn’t why she had come to visit him.
“Could I have you stall for time?” She asked with a serious look.
After considering it, Tigre dispatched a messenger to the Valentina army the next morning, requesting a meeting. And Valentina agreed to that. Messengers kept coming and going between both armies during that day, resulting in a promise for Tigre and Valentina to meet alone in the morning of the next day. On the terms of neither bringing any weapons, attendants or soldiers.
◎
Tigrevurmud Vorn and Valentina Glinka Estes faced each other on a plain roughly two belsta away from Zamberk.
“You seem to be doing fine, Earl Vorn.”
“Fortunately I suffered nothing but scratches during the battle two days ago. You have my gratitude for going along with my request, Valentina.”
Valentina was clad in a pure-white dress, carrying a large box in her arm. A bottle of wine and bread had been stored inside.
“Do you care to join me for a little brunch?”
After sighing lightly, Tigre removed his overcoat and spread it out on the ground. Without further ado, Valentina sat down on it, and Tigre took the place opposite of her.
Valentina poured wine into two silver cups she had quickly set up. Cuts had been added to the bread, making it easy to tear pieces off with little effort. Tigre turned down wine and bread, promptly broaching the main topic. He didn’t want her to snatch the initiative from him.
“Is your goal to become queen? After Ruslan has passed away, that is,” Tigre cut in directly without any prefaces.
Valentina answered with a little chuckle, “I’m just trying to accomplish my duty as Zhcted’s Vanadis. The other Vanadis have been gleefully supporting a false king like you, so I have no choice but to do it by myself, do I?”
“Just as it was written in my proclamation, I was entrusted with Lord Eugene’s will. They’re acting as guarantors.”
“Seeing how all of them like you, I think they will participate in any ruse for your sake. In the first place, are they actually Vanadis? Why did Eleonora, whom I fought the other day, wield a longsword and not her draconic tool?” Valentina took a stab at the crux of the matter with a tinge of sarcasm coloring her words.
Tigre believed that this had been the reason for her to agree to this meeting. If she could make sure that Elen and the other Vanadis were unable to use their draconic tool, it would immediately widen her tactical options. She wouldn’t be forced to invest dozens or hundreds of soldiers to take down a single Vanadis any longer.
“It’s because their draconic tools lost their powers during the battle against Ganelon.”
Valentina unintentionally widened her eyes. Most likely she hadn’t expected Tigre to give her such an honest answer.
Tigre smiled at her as he was able to return a blow.
“I thought you had already anticipated as much, but was I wrong in that assumption?”
“I’m certainly not all-knowing. ──So Duke Ganelon passed away?”
Tigre nodded at her seeking confirmation.
Valentina intentionally and artificially sighed, “If he could have at least taken one of you with him, it’d have been a bit easier on me.”
“In other words, you did know what Ganelon was planning to do.” Rage clearly dyed Tigre’s voice. “Do you know how many lives were lost for the absurd idea of making Tir Na Fal──”
“I do,” interrupted Valentina with a smile. “But, if you allow me to say one thing… Aren’t you trying to become this country’s king while knowing that you’re going to tread a path of blood?”
Tigre was lost for words. Valentina averted her eyes from him and continued, “I also have the will to keep walking a path drenched in blood. It’s just that I chose my means to stop Ganelon and hinder the demons’ ambitions after considering things in my own way.”
“To what end? Moments ago you said that you were accomplishing your duty as Vanadis, didn’t you?” Speaking up to this point, Tigre recalled a certain matter.
“His Highness Ruslan’s legitimate child’s──”
“Do you plan to wield your authority after installing His Highness Valery as king?”
Valentina’s voice carried a faintly gentle tone as she answered, “I don’t consider that boy to be fit for kingship. I’ve said it several times now, but I’m accomplishing my duty as Vanadis. I’ll destroy all those who could become enemies of the royal family. That’s all there is to it.”
“Isn’t it more like you’re making enemies of the royal family? Why didn’t you release Lord Eugene?”
The instant he mentioned Eugene’s name, Tigre’s voice clouded over with bitterness.
“This pertains to a secret of the kingdom, so I cannot give you an answer to that.”
Valentina’s reply was cold and ruthless.
“…Do you still intend to attack Pardu?”
“As long as you’re there, it’ll turn out like that.”
The two exchanged many more words, but they only managed to reaffirm each other’s unwavering will. As long as Tigre would try to inherit Eugene’s will, Valentina would try to defeat Tigre as enemy of the royal family. And Tigre had to eliminate Valentina for the sake of obtaining the crown.
When noon had passed, they called the meeting off. At this point it appeared as if only Valentina had gained some results out of this.
◎
On the next day, Arma Zirnitra and Valentina army squared off against each other on the plains of Zamberk once more.
The Valentina army had to retreat deliberately, but this couldn’t be helped. Valentina had carefully investigated the terrain of Pardu in advance, but this was the only area allowing for a large deployment of troops. If she wanted to use another battlefield, she would have to make a big detour to the north or south. But, rather than investing time into something like that, she judged it to be better to completely annihilate Arma Zirnitra on this occasion.
Although the region was summed up in the name Zamberk, it was vast. Both armies had taken up position in a location slightly off their previous battlefield. Arma Zirnitra’s forces had decreased to 9,000, but the Valentina army had also fallen to 10,000 and some hundreds. It wasn’t that they had suffered many casualties. It was just that several people had withdrawn from her army. More than half of the 1,000 soldiers led by Baron Vladlen, a western lord on Valentina’s side, had left the Valentina army. The one commanding the break-aways was a man called Earl Bulat.
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