13
“As a matter of fact, we knew from early on that Master Cecils was searching for someone.”
“What?! Did I let my objective slip? Very strange. For once, I thought I chose my words carefully…”
The four had returned to the Juukulius manor and now sat in a conference chamber. Two royal knights, two imperial generals, and one very charged atmosphere. That said, there was no bloodlust in the air, of course. The real problem had already been resolved, and the story was drawing to its close. Joshua had been relieved to no end at Cecils’s safe return. All that remained was to explain to Ferris what exactly had happened.
“You needn’t worry, Master Cecils. You never once said anything to give away why you were really here.”
“Well, that’s a relief. Hmm? Then how’d you know what I was doing?”
“There was nothing in your words that exposed you, true enough, but you dropped clues here and there. Asking Joshua and the serving girls if they had seen any ‘strange people from the empire,’ for example, and sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night… Oh, and I wouldn’t recommend using imperial gold pieces at the marketplace again. That’s the sort of thing people tend to remember.”
“What?!” Cecils reached into his kimono and produced his coin purse, staring at it in disbelief. The fact that Cecils had used imperial coinage on the first day they’d met in the capital made him profoundly easy to track. The man was hopelessly unsuited to covert activities.
“You never got to exchange currency, did you, the way you went rushing past that guard post? Guess that’d stand out, for sure.”
“And it led to your undoing. Perhaps I should give you some credit for maturing a little… At least you bothered to come up with a cover story for why you were here,” Chisha commented.
“No, that was no cover—I am here for the Sword Saint. Both stories are true.”
Cecils could have just as easily let it go without that bit of clarification; Ferris and Chisha had just been coming around to him. Now his fellow general was staring daggers at him again; the empire’s greatest warrior hugged his swords and shrank down.
“But that doesn’t clear everything up. It was perfectly logical to think Chisha was here after Cecils, so how did you know, Julius?”
“Simple enough. If Master Cecils were the runaway, Master Chisha and one other person would never have been able to apprehend him. There could only be one outcome against Volakia’s strongest swordsman—it’s the same problem you and I had.”
“Ahhh… Meow it makes sense.”
The spirit mage nodded. It was true that when Captain Marcus had called them into his quarters, Julius hadn’t known everything. Clearly, Cecils had some ulterior motive, and in the worst-case scenario, it might’ve involved something harmful to Lugunica. Julius had found no proof that it didn’t. Yet much of his concern had been allayed by Chisha’s arrival and stated goal.
“Embarrassing though it is to admit, I am not such a fine fighter myself, and Cecils would certainly defeat me in the blink of an eye were we to come to blows. His Majesty may order what he wishes, but the impossible remains impossible.”
“Ah! Chisha, you’re showing weakness! I will have to report this to the emperor! To think, a general of the empire mewling like a little baby! Oh, the shame!”
“…I’m sorry to say that if anyone is in for a serious scolding when we get back to the empire, it’s you, Cecils.”
“Why me?!” wailed the Blue Lightning of Volakia, but his fellow general replied only with an irritated look. The easy tone of the exchange suggested they were not merely fellows in arms, but good friends. Perhaps Chisha was supporting Cecils’s endeavors, in his own way.
“Much as my own friends shore up my shortcomings…”
“There you go again, Julius, always putting yourself down. They call you The Finest—you could afford to act like you believe it sometimes!”
“It’s a title I hardly deserve anyway. In any event, I strongly suspected that Master Cecils’s secret goal, and Master Chisha’s stated one, were one and the same. Considering how Master Chisha’s alleged partner never materialized, it made sense to assume that was the role Master Cecils was meant to fill.”
That was as much as Julius had grasped about the situation, although he had understood it quite thoroughly. Chisha nodded as he explained, and Cecils laughed uproariously. “Viscount Glamdart, he was the one behind the plot against His Majesty—remember? You were there. We were quick to relieve him of his head, but wouldn’t you know it, it wasn’t actually him! We got a report that he’d left a body double behind and fled here to the kingdom.”
“And in response, someone went running off before His Majesty could even give proper orders. Namely, the empire’s number one general. We thought he would at least pause at the border checkpoint—it never occurred to us he would enter without authorization. The thought made me even more pale than I usually am.”
“True, I didn’t have any solid leads, but thanks to Master Julius, I didn’t have to fret about food or shelter while I went after the fugitive—it all worked out.”
Chisha’s expression soured more and more as Cecils calmly described his primary worries. Ferris, meanwhile, turned and stared at Julius. “So mew had ulterior meowtives of your own for inviting Cecils home?”
“For the most part, I meant what I said to you. The one thing I struggled with was whether allowing Master Cecils to wander at will through the capital might not make things far worse between our two countries.”
“In that, I concur with you,” Chisha said. “Thus, I chose to come to the castle without my partner, even knowing it might be quite futile. My meeting with you, Master Julius, could be considered quite a stroke of good fortune—or perhaps…”
“…The work of someone who engineered it behind the scenes,” Julius said softly, picking up on what the pale man was saying.
Neither the Kingdom of Lugunica nor the Empire of Volakia had the resources at this moment to conduct a full-scale war against another nation. The kingdom’s throne was empty, while the empire was clearly afflicted with forces that would foment rebellion if not rooted out. And yet if the fuse was lit, there would be no choice but to act. Act—or suffer the consequent damage to the national standing.
“I guess we could call this a fire prevention mission, then,” Julius mused.
“Hmmm… And you think we succeeded in preventing the blaze?” Ferris asked Chisha, not looking wholly convinced.
“For my purposes, and with your kind cooperation, all has ended well. The betrayer, Glamdart, has been apprehended, and I was able to locate our wayward general… Now we can at least claim that we entered the kingdom together.”
“Furthermore, my house can say, for all intents and purposes, that it never illicitly harbored a general of the empire. That’s provided, of course, that all involved will keep the details of this affair to themselves…” There Julius stopped and looked directly at Ferris. “Ferris, you are free to say whatever you will, to whomever you will. I leave it to your judgment whether to speak and what to say.”
“Sigh…” Ferris pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head. “I can’t believe you, turning all serious at the last minute. Listen up, Ferri’s been treated like nothing but a third wheel this entire time, and that’s what you end on? Julius, you are the most selfish…!”
“…I can understand why you’re angry. What I did was—”
“Argh, that’s not what I’m talking about! How do I always end up in this role?” Ferris pursed his lips, pressing a finger into the cheek of the contrite-looking Julius. The taller knight twitched, shrugging his slim shoulders. “Fine, I forgive you,” Ferris said. “But you owe me one. And believe me, I’ll cash in that favor one day.”
“…Yes, certainly. Thank you.” Julius nodded and smiled, thinking how Ferris-like such sullen kindness was. Julius knew now the demi-human would not make an issue of his little deceit on this occasion. Filled with gratitude for that kindness, the spirit mage turned to the two Volakian envoys. “Well then, shall we go and make our official report about this fine moment of cooperation between the kingdom and the empire?”
It was the last little bit of cleaning up they would have to do.
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