EPILOGUE
KNIGHTLY EXPECTATIONS
1
“So do you have anything to say, Sir Julius?”
“No, nothing at all. Everything is in accord with the report.”
Two men spoke in the darkness of a room untouched by the sun’s rays. The space belonged to the captain of the guards in the knights’ garrison, adjacent to the royal palace. Marcus was sitting at his official desk, with Julius standing ramrod straight in front of the table.
“I could offer no complaint if you were to banish me from the Knights of the Royal Guard for my breach of conduct. Do as you will, captain.”
Julius pulled his sword out of the scabbard at his hip and offered it across the top of the desk. The sight of Julius offering up his sword drew a deep sigh out of Marcus.
“So during a discussion about the royal selection, you detained a man related to one of the candidates, led him to the parade square, beat him senseless, and sent him off to be healed. Judging from the contents of this document alone, I cannot simply let this pass with a slap on the wrist.” But the better question was what in the world the “finest” of knights was thinking when he did such a thing. Naturally, the knightly blood was not so thin in Marcus that he could not hazard a guess. He continued, “I am at liberty to take circumstances into account. Many of your fellow knights at the parade square have entreated me to show leniency. Having said all this, you indeed went too far.”
The wounds endured by the young man at the parade square far exceeded what was tolerable for mock combat. Marcus asked, “Did you find his tarnishing of your knightly pride unforgivable to that extent?”
“Glossing this over will only give rise to personal grudges. My personal shortcomings are solely to blame. Please, captain, do not waste any more words for my benefit.”
Julius did not relent, meekly awaiting his punishment to the very end. Marcus lowered his eyes, considering what words to use in light of his unyielding stance. Then, Ferris opened the door, entering the room with his well-worn guard uniform and a casual attitude.
“Hi, sorry to keep you waiting. Your dear Ferri has returned!”
Seeing Marcus and Julius facing the other, Ferris put a hand to his mouth and smiled mischievously.
“Meow, did Ferri come at a bad time? You’re sharing such passionate looks…”
Marcus replied, “…Cease that idle prattle and report, you precocious brat.”
“Ohh, captain, your true colors are showing.”
“I suppose I should behave before my men the same as in public… Well, fine. Make your report.”
With Marcus shooing him off, Ferris stood right beside Julius.
“As per the captain’s orders, Ferri went all meowt healing Subawu. His wounds are closed, his bones mended, even his teeth have been restored. He’ll be all right.”
“Well done. You didn’t miss anything?”
“If Ferri missed it, it couldn’t be found in the first place. There’s no problem with his body… Though, the same can’t be said for his heart.”
Ferris’s cat ears twitched as he shot Julius a teasing sidelong glance.
“You really are a softie, Julius. How many girls have you made swoon with that thoughtfulness and devotion? You’re even making Ferri’s heart flutter.”
“I do not know what you speak of, Ferris.”
“You don’t need to keep playing tough. That girl with good instincts already noticed, and it still worked wonders on the guy who didn’t, so why worry? Or maybe dear Ferri comes off as an airhead who won’t notice what Julius and the captain are thinking?”
When Julius held his silence, Ferris’s eyes narrowed in even greater delight.
“Tee-hee, you’re so cuuute when you’re quiet. But don’t worry.—Because you put him through so much torture, we don’t need to worry about other people going after him that don’t know how to stop.”
“?”
Ferris’s teasing words dragged a faint smile out of Julius. Marcus, having listened to their conversation in silence, nodded and indicated he understood Julius’s decision.
“The young ones were no doubt on edge from how the brat’s statement demeaned the knightly class. Being assigned to the royal guard means great skill with the sword and pride to match.”
The knights’ discontent, created by Subaru’s conduct at the royal selection conference, had been in search of a place to explode. Marcus continued, “Had someone else run off and started a confrontation, the lad might well have lost his life for his insolence.”
Ferris picked up where Marcus left off and pointed out what Julius had concluded.
“So a knight had to smack Subawu around before that could happen. If it wasn’t for Julius, Ferri might have had to take care of it…”
Julius explained, “It’s using the right person for the right job. We can’t have you becoming his enemy when you have to heal him. Besides, it seemed more natural if I was the one to do it. I could also say…I was confident that I could pull it off the best.”
Marcus commented, “It was no doubt correct to leave a weaker opponent to Julius’s hands. Practice with your sword more often, why don’t you?”
“Nooo! Swinging swords around makes you all sweaty and gives you callouses. Meow, Ferri could never show these pearly white palms to Lady Crusch again!”
Marcus, seeing Ferris so casually brushing off his captain’s commands, sighed with a resigned look.
“Sir Julius Juukulius, this is your punishment.—For five days, you are suspended from your duties and forbidden to enter the garrison or enter the royal palace. I shall retain your sword until that time has passed.”
“—As you command.”
Julius, closing his eyes as if digesting the stated punishment, handed Marcus his knight’s sword. Marcus, accepting the weapon that was the very symbol of his pride as a knight, quietly shook his head.
“Sorry. Properly speaking, this was not a burden you should have had to bear.”
Julius rebutted, “Captain, you always strive for the best possible outcome. The Knights of the Royal Guard were once disbanded, but today, they boast the strongest and most gallant of men because of you.”
Ferris chimed in, “That’s right. Ferri would never say this to anyone besides Lady Crusch, but have more confidence in yourself, captain.”
Marcus bluntly replied, “If you’re going to say things like that, put on a proper man’s clothes!”
Ferris shrugged his shoulders as if to say, That’s the one order I’ll never obey. Marcus laid Julius’s sword on top of the table with care before sitting back down in his chair.
“The matter is concluded. There are other duties I must attend to. Dismissed.”
Marcus’s formal words announced he had returned to his public persona.
When the other two left the room, the atmosphere became tranquil once more. Marcus, now alone, leaned back into his creaking chair and glared up at the ceiling. The affair on his mind was separate from the mock combat, and concerned a report he had received from the castle guards after the conference’s conclusion.
“‘Should an intruder in the castle bear the family crest of the hawk, let him pass’…”
So read the order issued to the guards at the palace gate. That order was why the guards had requested instructions from Marcus after they captured the old man related to Felt.
In other words, the appearance of an intruder was set in stone from the very beginning.
When the clownish visage of the man who had issued the command came to mind, Marcus ground his teeth.
“Damn you, Roswaal. What the hell are you planning…?”
His stony face burned with irritation as he pondered what the eccentric might be up to.
2
“Meow, the captain’s not too smooth, either. He saw the whole thing through, so why couldn’t he just drop it altogether?”
“Allowing such an act to go unpunished would be unacceptable even under these circumstances. I wouldn’t wish for that, either.”
Ferris was gazing at the side of Julius’s handsome face as the two walked down the corridor of the garrison side by side.
Ferris’s lips pouted at how Julius looked so satisfied.
“So, Julius, what are you going to do meow?” Ferris asked.
“Naturally, I will follow my captain’s command and spend time at the mansion. I will explain the situation to Lady Anastasia… My only concern is whether she can take it easy in the meantime.”
“But you like that about her, don’t you? Ferri can tell!”
Ferris’s cheeks puffed up as he put his own spin on Julius’s words. Julius then looked at his cat-eared companion as if he’d just remembered something.
“Incidentally, Ferris, about the boy from earlier…”
Before the question was even fully posed, Ferris replied, all warmth draining from his lips.
“He’s with Lady Emilia right now. After…he’ll be staying at the Karsten mansion to convalesce.”
Accepting the reply, Julius closed his eyes and pondered for a time.
“Convalesce…is it? It would seem he has suffered an injury far graver than any seen from without.”
“Mew didn’t hear one word about that from your dear Ferri.”
Ferris’s behavior, however, made the situation clear as day. Julius could guess what had happened since handing Subaru over to Ferris. The wise young man soon arrived at his answer.
“—It is truly in Lady Emilia’s nature to cause pain in others.”
“Are mew thinking, ‘Even though she could live a much wiser life’?”
“No. That very nature is what allows her to live as nobly and beautifully as she does. I do not deign to wish her to change. Thus, all I can do is hope that she lives more righteously, more genuinely, without anything to be ashamed of.”
Julius lifted his face and resumed his walk. Ferris followed half a step behind, hands crossed behind his back, leaning his body forward as he looked up at Julius.
“Does that go for the boy, too?”
“It goes for everyone, Ferris. It is for that very reason I wield a sword.”
—He will probably break, thought Julius.
If he was going to break, breaking him then and there would be a mercy.
But if—just if—all that was not enough to break him, then…
“It would not be such a bad thing to trade swords with a fool full of idealism once more.”
“Well, even if that’s what you think, Julius, Subawu might not wanna do that again after the public beating you gave him. Hey, hey…”
“What is it?”
“Lots of things came together to cause that duel, but he got on your nerves juuuuust a little, didn’t he?”
With Ferris’s words seeming meant to test him, Julius stopped and looked over.
“Ferris, you wound me. I am a knight. However imperfectly, that is the precept I live by.”
Julius, deeming his own conduct to have nothing to be ashamed of, looked straight at Ferris.
“As for an annoyance…perhaps he was that, a little bit.”
“Well, he got on Ferri’s nerves quite a bit, mew know?”
The two exchanged laughs as if it was the funniest joke they’d ever shared. They finally arrived at the entrance to the garrison and shook hands. Julius said, “Well, then, we must part. I deeply wish that you and your lord remain in good health.”
“Lady Anastasia will probably complain, so good luck with that, Julius… You can just leave all the mopping up to Ferri.”
Ferris casually waved before turning his back and walking off.
Julius watched from behind as his friend departed—and an enemy took his place.
“Lady Anastasia shall succeed as king.”
“Nuh-uh. Lady Crusch is the fittest for the throne.”
And so, the knights exchanged their declaration of war before returning to their respective masters.
The rays of the setting sun poured down from the evening sky, dying all who dwelled in the royal capital equally red.
—In so many ways, the royal selection had now begun.
<END>
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