2
“Reinhard, Ferris. What did you make of that conversation?” Julius asked as they left the captain’s quarters in the innermost sanctum of the royal guard’s barracks.
Beside him, Ferris’s eyes were wide. “These are secret orders, right? Aren’t you being too careless, talking about them right out here in the hallway?”
“Don’t worry. The Sprouts have confirmed there’s no one around. If you’re still uncomfortable, go ahead and ask Reinhard for a second opinion.”
“Fine, just don’t expect too much from me… Yeah. The only people around are on the first floor of the barracks—or outside.”
“Looks like I can expect plenty from you,” Ferris said with a shrug, his ears twitching.
As it happened, Ferris hadn’t really meant that remark about carelessness. He had a good deal of trust in Julius’s tact and Reinhard’s abilities. He had just been teasing them.
“Anyway, this isn’t an invitation I’m very happy to get,” he went on. “The kingdom and the empire are all but at each other’s throats, and they want to see the Sword Saint? If this is a joke, it’s not a funny one.”
“And at this moment, of all times. If the empire pulled something on us now, it would be a major blow to the kingdom.”
The history between the Kingdom of Lugunica and the Empire of Volakia stretched back a long way, and it could hardly be called friendly. The struggle between them had persisted for more than four hundred years, before the Witch of Jealousy terrorized the world. Of the four major nations that now divided the map between them, Lugunica and Volakia had the longest history, and it was one of war. They often vied for each other’s territory, drawing and redrawing their borders over the centuries, and the only thing that had, at last, put a stop to it was Lugunica’s pact with the Dragon.
The kingdom worked with the Dragon to seal away the Witch, and thereafter, the nation received the abundance and prosperity the Holy Dragon had promised. Their benefactor protected the country, keeping the menace of the empire at bay, leading to the dramatic cessation of hostilities.
“The catch is that peace is broken in all but name,” Julius remarked. “There are still skirmishes, even after four centuries. We haven’t seen any major battles, but if anything, I think the empire’s ambition is burning hotter than ever.”
“Yeah, and I’ve heard it took a lot to keep them in check during the Demi-human War. And there’s also talk that the empire had something to do with the rampage of the evil dragon, Bargren, right?” Ferris asked.
“Well, they’ve never publicly admitted to being involved, but at the time, there were some suspicious characters lurking around the kingdom that some suspect to have summoned the rampaging dragon.”
“The empire does have sky-dragon tamers. It wouldn’t surprise me if they really could control the things…”
Ferris straightened up, frowning. Sky-dragon tamers were people with the ability to domesticate the creatures called sky dragons, which only the empire was said to possess. Unlike land dragons, which were mild-mannered and usually friendly toward humans, sky dragons were vicious beasts that showed no affinity for humankind. If the empire could tame monsters like that, perhaps they could force even more powerful dragons under their yoke.
“If the rumors are true, it’s possible a huge army of them could attack Lugunica. Then we’d have to count on you to get rid of them, Reinhard—somehow.”
“If it actually comes to that, rest assured I’ll give every last bit of my strength to the cause,” Reinhard replied. He had a wan smile, but his answer to Ferris’s little joke was in earnest.
Julius watched them banter, eventually commenting, “Whatever the case, their animosity toward our country is one wound time hasn’t healed—much as it pains me to say it. And that’s just one of many things about this mission that doesn’t make sense to me.”
There was no end to the vile rumors that circulated about the empire. It would have been hopelessly naive to take them all at face value, of course. But the sheer number of them meant, objectively, that there had to be something causing all these groundless suspicions.
“I’m also disturbed that the Council of Elders would go along with the empire’s request so readily,” Julius said. “Any thoughts on that, Reinhard?”
The Council of Elders was the august body that dictated kingdom-wide policy. In practical terms, they were the head and heart of the nation. And at the moment, they occupied a crucial position as the literal lifeline of the state. It was this very council’s orders that had come down to Marcus, captain of the royal guard.
Naturally, knights of the realm were in no position to refuse such orders. But doubts were inevitable. Thus, Julius wanted to know what Reinhard was thinking, given that he was the very man named by the instructions.
Reinhard winked and said, “Sure—there’s plenty about this mission that bugs the hell out of me, too. But orders are orders. If they want my help, then I’m inclined to offer it. Obviously, if they’re plotting something, they won’t be able to keep me quiet.”
“Yes; whatever the empire may be planning, I very much doubt they intend to harm you.”
“Your position isn’t exactly optimistic, is it, Reinhard?”
Julius and Ferris, standing almost directly across from the red-haired man, glanced at each other and shrugged. The young swordsman possessed unparalleled abilities. It was a level of strength befitting the one who inherited the blessing and name of the Sword Saint. It was none other than Reinhard whose prowess in combat was unequaled in all the land, greater than even Marcus’s. In the face of his power, almost every mortal fear could be called needless, even absurd.
“The kingdom is teetering on the brink, and they send the Sword Saint along with the chief of the Council of Elders to the empire… They must have really put the screws to the captain,” Julius mused.
“Guess we’ll just have to make sure nothing goes wrong,” Ferris said with an ironic smile.
But who were things going to go wrong for, and what sort of trouble might be waiting in the offing?
Keenly aware of the burden the coming mission brought, Julius prayed to the sky to protect the future peace of the kingdom.
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