Volume 4, Chapter 6: Venomous Serpent

Part 1

The mansion that Oswell had converted into a church was on the outskirts of the castle town. Rumour had it that this villa had formerly belonged to a distant relative of the princely house, who had sold it to pay off gambling debts.

And today, Leo would be meeting with the envoys from Dytiann in that house with a high fence.

The main part of the building was being altered to include colonnades, and it was already looking like a church. It was destined to soon be burned to the ground, yet Oswell had spared neither money nor manpower, and used both lavishly. He had even paid expensive fees to a painter for the religious frescoes on the walls and ceilings. As a result, Leo's group looked up admiringly at the paintings as they climbed the staircase to the second floor of the side building, without the slightest inkling of the gruesome scene that was scheduled to unfold.

Gemili, Neville and the others were already waiting in a square room with a balcony. The two sides exchanged greetings. On Dytiann's side, when they saw Leo, they were startled by his haggard appearance, and several people expressed concern about his health.

“I am very sorry to have worried you. But I'm fine now. So then, shall we begin?”

Since Leo himself suggested it, they started the meeting straight away.

The time appointed for the assassination was fast approaching.

It would soon be sunset.

Neville had not said a single thing during the talks. Father Gemili, the representative for the Dytiann priests, was currently pleading in favour of Atall's Church integrating the monastic orders. Dytiann's cathedral was essentially the main seat for all the monasteries within the country. In that, it differed from Allion, where religious orders flourished Although they all belonged to the same Cross Faith, there were different sects depending on what country they were in.

While Neville's posture remained rigid as he listened to the conversation, beneath the table, he clenched and unclenched his fists, preparing himself for when the time came.

Still, Gemili's frivolous voice and insincere attitude offended him. Even though this entire meeting was meaningless – most of those present would probably no longer be part of this world within a few hours – it irritated him that this kind of person was acting like a mouthpiece for Dytiann.

After Leo had collapsed, that man had done nothing but loaf around. As he was not in on the plan, and had only been brought along to help gain the trust of the Atallese, he was not aware of the true purpose behind the meeting. And so, he didn't feel the slightest bit nervous, and instead seemed to view this task as nothing more than a good chance to kick back and relax while in a foreign country.

After making a single call on Leo to inquire about his health, he had declared that: “We've now got more time to do whatever we want,” and started going out to have fun day after day. By the time he staggered back, he always reeked of alcohol.

What annoyed Neville and the others more than anything, was how each and every time, he made them listen to how he had been 'welcomed by a woman'.

“It's not like with tarts. This was a girl with real class, even though she's still young. Half a year from now, she will have to marry a man she's never even met, so she's visiting the town to try and taste at least a little freedom before then. When I preached God's teachings to her, there was an entranced look in her lovely almond-shaped eyes, and she rested her head against my shoulder. I absolutely must take the time to go again and guide her towards the path of the faithful,” he would cheerfully tell them.

It made Neville sick. Whenever he thought about how that gang of conmen had destroyed the Holy See and were now ruling however they pleased over the land in the name of “God's teachings,” he went beyond anger and felt nothing but wretched and ashamed.

Well, never mind about Gemili. There was something they needed to do before worrying about him.

Every exit to and from the mansion was blocked by Oswell's men. The road leading to Aconrey was of course one of them, but even the paths heading outwards were blockaded, as they seemed to be on high alert, intent on preventing anyone from entering or leaving. On the other hand, none of those soldiers were inside building. The only ones present were the two parties taking part in the talks, and a few servants who were preparing the dinner for after the meeting.

Which meant that the prince would only be able to rely on the few guards that he had brought with him, but from what Neville would see, they didn't look very reliable. The only exception was the well-built man introduced as the representative to Conscon Temple; he at least looked somewhat competent. He didn't have the slightest trace of composure, however, and his gaze had been wandering around incessantly throughout the meeting. That might be his own brand of vigilance, but the fact that he couldn't relax meant that he was the type to exhaust themselves before the time came.

The other members of the group were three soldiers who looked like they had only just been hired from the populace and who didn't even have the right posture yet, and a thin boy who looked even more childish than Leo. They weren't exactly impressive shields for the prince.

The same could be said of Neville and his group, but the others weren't even armed, since it had been agreed beforehand that neither group would take any weapons into the meeting room with them. They had all been searched before entering the room, and those guards shouldn't currently be carrying even as little as a dagger.

─ Neville once more went over the plan in his head. Oswell would be present for the meeting's initial stages. As a domain lord, however, he had other business to attend to, and was scheduled to leave early because of some matter or another. They would spring into action some time after that.

A large casket decorated in gold and silver was brought into the room. It contained 'relics' that were to be presented to the party from Atall, which were meant to be transferred to the church which was being established there. In reality, it was filled with a pile of weapons.

Neville and the eight others from the old Holy See would casually go to stand by the entrance, from where they would grab the weapons and rush in to cut down Leo's group.

The first target would be the man from Conscon. If they could strike him down from the first, then the rest wouldn't be too difficult. In all honesty, seven of the assassins wouldn't even be needed; Neville and Godwin by themselves would be more than enough to kill Leo in no time.

Leo's group wouldn't be the only ones Neville would point his blade towards. Father Gemili, that fellow traveller from Dytiann who was currently waxing eloquent in fervent speech, would also be on the receiving end of it. This was one of Baal's schemes to make it look like Leo had been killed by 'traitors' to the Current Church faction, and to ensure that nobody linked his murder with Dytiann.

You only need to injure him, had said Baal, but his eyes revealed a different intention. 'Kill him'. Neville understood that to mean that Gemili could not be allowed to become trouble in the future. Afterwards, the plan was that the secret agents that Baal had sent to Archon beforehand – those they would meet once they arrived at Aconrey – would set fire to the mansion. They would escape during that time.

Since the guilt of Dytiann's current Church would be exposed if Neville and the others were caught, Baal was sure to invest a lot of energy into securing an escape route for them.

The real fight will come after this, thought Neville.

When they had been about to depart, Baal had told them: “Once everything is settled, head for Eashar, a village at the western edge of Dytiann. I'll transfer your families there and you'll receive your pay when you get there.”

It certainly wasn't out of the kindness of his heart that he would move their families. There would, of course, be eyes to monitor them, and the implicit threat was that if Neville's group abandoned their mission halfway, well then, who knew what might happen to their loved ones...

And if they managed to safely make it to Eashar, would Baal pay the money and release Neville and the others, as well as their families, as he had promised? Baal was a clergyman in the service of God – but it would be naively optimistic to think that would prevent him from lying. Far from keeping his promise, he might be intending to kill Neville and the others, who knew some inconvenient facts about Dytiann's current regime.

Considering what the current Church was like, that was a definite possibility.

But don't think I'm going to fall into a trap that easily.

Their families should be safe at least until Baal heard that the mission was a success. And there were currently no chains at Neville's hands and feet; there were plenty of ways for him to do what he needed to.

After going over the entire plan, Neville looked towards Leo Attiel. The first thing that needed to be done was to successfully assassinate this prince.

When he had first seen him at the banquet, five days earlier, Neville had thought: It's a shame.

Leo was still only in his teens. His face and body both showed that he was basically still a boy. He didnt look in the slightest like the 'envoy of the Devil' that Baal had painted him as.

Neville felt his chest tighten. He was a man who had fought as a servant of God. He had mercilessly killed all enemies of the Church and of the pope, even when they had been women or children. The situation was different this time, but he could only try to force himself into a state of mind similar to the one he had then.

Forgive me, little prince. He made the sign of the cross. You are not an enemy to His Holiness, and it's just unlucky that you acted against the corrupt and degenerate Dytiann that exists now. I will happily also be branded as evil. Never mind if I spend all eternity whipped by the scourges of Hell. Your death will not be in vain. I swear it will serve as the foundation for building the true kingdom of God in this world... although I don't know if it can be accomplished in my lifetime...

─ While Neville was lost in his thoughts, Oswell rose from his seat.

“Then I apologise, but I will take my leave. Your Highness, I had intended to hold another dinner party in your honour tomorrow evening, but does your health allow it?”

“I'm fine.”

“You are young, Your Highness. Still, you will be shouldering the weight of the principality in the future, so please do not overdo it,” Oswell's expression was unruffled as he left the room.

After that, a half hour went by, and the talks were all but settled.

Standing next to each other, Neville and Godwin exchanged glances. It would soon be time. They both stole a glance to confirm the position of the casket full of weapons.

“To misquote what Lord Oswell said earlier, it isn't healthy to work ourselves into exhaustion,” Leo suddenly stood up, without any prior warning and clapped his hands.

For a moment, Neville and his group became cautious, but it was only wine that was brought in on Leo's signal. There were goblets placed before everyone there and the servants waiting on the table now filled each one to the brim. Leo picked his up.

“May Our Lord's teachings bring light upon this world,” he raised his cup.

What the... Neville felt relieved. Well, this will be your last cup of wine. I hope you enjoy it.

Leo drank down the contents in one go. Gemili was the next to drink, and Neville followed suit.

Gemili, the wine connoisseur, wiped his lips. “That was delicious,” he beamed. “My home area produces good grapes, but I didn't know that you had such excellent wine in Atall.”

“Did you enjoy it? Then I'll make sure you receive a barrel later.”

“I'm very grateful.”

“But did you know that there's a secret about how this is produced? Once you hear it, I'm not sure you will still want it, Father Gemili,” Leo laughed teasingly, and Father Gemili went along with the joke.

“Oh? I wonder what it is. Don't tell me that the secret ingredient is insects, which any right-minded man hates?”

“It's something close,” Leo put his cup back down on the table then continued, “this wine contains the same poison that I drank, five days ago.”

He smiled radiantly as he made that announcement.

Part 2

When heard the word 'poison', Father Gemili started coughing furiously. The soldiers of the Holy See, disguised as priests, stared at each other in horror. As Leo watched, them, he continued speaking.

“How do you like the taste of poison, gentlemen? The speed at which it takes effect varies from person to person. Perhaps you're already feeling as though you're suffocating? Some of you might be getting dizzy. At this point, the Devil has probably already raised his gleaming scythe over some of your heads. Oh, but then some of you might be lucky enough to see heavenly messengers come for you, trumpets in hand. You should go through those gates to the sky,” he chuckled.

Gemili was clutching at his own throat. It looked like he had only realised he was suffocating after Leo had pointed it out. Some of the other soldiers were also clawing at their own bodies, while others were simply staggering around.

“What the hell,” screamed a soldier of the Holy See, his face scarlet. “Lord Leo... bastard, you plotted against us?”

Godwin seized the man by the shoulder just as he was about to rush towards the casket. The soldier was on the verge of loosing his sanity; he tried to shake Godwin off by force, but this was, after all, the 'colossal monk'. His feet seemed to have taken root, and he didn't budge at all.

For a second, it looked as though the entire place was going to be thrown into chaos.

“A prank.”

It was Neville who had spoken loudly to prevent the situation from getting worse. He then raised his empty cup, and tipped it sharply so that a few drops who remained at the bottom fell onto his lips. He licked them and said: “Your Highness, I'd appreciate it if you put a stop to your prank. Is there some reason why you pretended to poison us, Lord Leo?” he laughed.

It was what you could expect from a man who had witnessed countless scenes of carnage. Even though he he had been told that he had drunk poison, he turned to face the prince with a nonchalant air.

“I have a reason,” opposite him, Leo wiped away his own enigmatic smile and glared at those from Dytiann. “Wasn't every single one of you here planning to murder me? So what further reason did I need? You should savour in your own flesh the reward for baring your fangs at Leo Attiel, second prince of the principality of Atall.”

“You damn...” Another soldier lunged past Godwin's side and tried to seize the casket.

“Wait,” Godwin stretched out his second hand and caught him by the shoulder.

“Let me go, Godwin.”

“I told you to wait.”

Although Godwin's expression was also one of desperation, he tried as much as possible to keep his voice under control. He didn't know how to take the prince's words, but Neville was still calm, and Godwin based himself on that to evaluate the situation.

An unnatural silence fell between the two groups.

For a while, they stayed still within this strange, uncomfortable silence thick with confusion, then... it vanished like the mist when Lord Leo's laughter rang out a second time.

“That's a man who's dedicated his life to God's teachings for you. You're so calm that there's no point trying to make fun of you. Yes, you're right. I lied about poisoning you. This wine is the finest in Atall. I had it brought in for your enjoyment to embellish this stage which I set up here. I needed something sweet enough to be plausible as the last thing you would taste in this life.”

“W-What...” The priest bowed his head with an air of heartfelt relief. His complexion was so pasty that it looked like he really had drunk poison. “My lord, that was atrocious,” whether from anger or relief, Gemili's tone was vociferous. “I am one who received sacred orders in Dytiann. This isn't some amusing joke; you made a mockery of me. I demand that you apologise right here and now and...”

“However, not everything I said was a lie,” Leo interrupted Gemili has though bashing past him with a shield and glared at the soldiers disguised as monks. He raised his right hand and held up to fingers to count. “There were two truths. The first is that you plotted to kill me.”

He bent down one of his fingers. Neville, Godwin and the others watched, their mouths dry, as he lowered the second finger.

“The second is that, five days ago, I drank poison,” he stated calmly.

Neville shook his head.

“We heard of course that Your Highness' health was far from good. And we were also aware of the rumours that you may have been poisoned. However, surely you cannot believe that it was we who...”

“The one who poisoned me wasn't someone from your group, and it definitely wasn't Lord Oswell Taholin, who is being accused of it by the rumours.”

“Then who was it?”

Leo's right hand was still raised and he used it to point towards himself.

“It was me. I, Leo Attiel, put poison in my own wine cup.”

The room once more erupted with noise and confusion.

Is he insane? Even Neville couldn't hide the thought that was written all over his face. Only the prince and the guards accompanying him had remained calm.

Neville gulped before speaking up again.

“And... why in the world for?” he couldn't help but ask.

A faint smile once again appeared on the prince's lips as he gave a small nod.

“The first reason was to buy some time.”

“Time?”

“I had intended to act according to how Oswell expected me to, but if I'd done that, then the enemy would have set the pace and I wouldn't have been able to find out anything about their trap. So I pretended that my health collapsed, and used that time to gather information.”

Leo suddenly directed his gaze towards the window. The soldier who looked like a boy reacted to the signal and headed in that direction. Leo turned back to Neville.

“I say 'pretend', but it wouldn't have been easy to deceive Oswell and the others with a fake illness. So I decided to take a poison I'd received from one of my men, dilute it in wine and water, and drink it. And as a result, absolutely no one doubted that I was genuinely ill.”

Honestly... The one who sighed in frustration from not knowing how to vent his own anger wasn't anyone from Dytiann, but rather the warrior monk at Leo's side, Camus.

They had probably forgotten how he had gone ashen when Leo collapsed, but that hadn't been an act. Leo hadn't told anyone except Kuon and Aqua about how he was going to poison his own wine. The poison itself was apparently something that Kuon had brought back from his native land.

Leo had received a detailed explanation about the concoction from Kuon. How much did it have to be dilluted so that the effects would be as weak as possible, but without being so weak that it become pointless? What was the right quantity to cause symptoms that would allow him to stay in bed for three or four days without attracting suspicion? By all accounts, Kuon had strongly objected at first.

“I'm not a shaman, so I don't understand it all that well, but it's dangerous, Prince. It had different effects on different people. Even if you dilute it, you could die from suddenly swallowing it. And even if you don't, you can go blind, or lose the use of your arms and legs... the shaman who made Sarah drink it said so.”

Leo, however, was every bit as stubborn. The horned snake poison in Kuon's possession could not be obtained anywhere near Atall. Which made it perfect for deceiving the doctors, and if it looked like something which had been specially concocted, then the surroundings were sure to start whispering that Oswell might have been planning his assassination. And that in turn could be used to uncover the relationship between Oswell and Dytiann, which Leo was still unclear about at the time.

Which was why he ordered Kuon and Aqua to carefully observe how people reacted in the instant that he took the poison and collapsed. It was simple. Easy. When Leo fell, what would be the first thing that Oswell and the monks from Dytiann would look at? Oswell stared at those from Dytiann. And as for the party from Dytiann... on the one hand, there was Gemili, who seemed shaken and confused, whereas the rest of the group looked at each other. Not a single one of them turned to gaze at Oswell.

That didn't reveal the whole story, of course, but it provided a piece of the puzzle that allowed Leo to guess at the situation.

But when the prince told Camus about it afterwards, the warrior monk naturally flew into a rage.

“Why didn't you tell me about it? No... first of all, you must have been mad to take some unknown poison!” He shouted so fiercely that it made his muscles heave but, as the prince continued to weaken day by day, Camus' tone softened.

As he nursed the prince, who was losing his strength and growing increasingly haggard, Camus mulled over his thoughts.

How amazing he is. God granted me as my destiny to meet this man, the conviction which had come to him when they were entering Olt Rose flitted across his mind.

Alright. In that case, I'll take poison too, he decided. In other words, if Leo believed it to be necessary, then Camus would obey him even to the end. As long as Leo lived, Camus would not be a single step apart from him, and if Leo died, then he would choose to join him in the same grave.

Camus was prepared to live his life that way.

So you need to be prepared as well, Lord Leo, he whispered silently that night, as he wiped the sweat that was pouring from Leo's feverish brow. You are someone who will never be allowed to die alone. And even if, in the future, you want to live a peaceful and solitary life, I will never allow you to. I will always drag you back to the front stage, whether I have to cling to your legs and lick your boots, or prod you with a spear. So be prepared, Lord Leo, Your Highness....

“It was Oswell who brought you gentlemen over here. Yet at the same time... you aren't aware that you're collaborating with him,” Leo's words had all the force of a spell, binding his audience. He continued his recitation while Neville and the others remained rooted in place.

“Basing myself on that hypothesis, I had my subordinates gather information. Investigating at random is about the same as wandering aimlessly in a desert. So as a starting premise, that one wasn't too bad. Especially if we're talking about Father Gemili...”

Leo glanced sideways towards him, and the priest almost jumped out of his skin just from that. He – and he alone – couldn't understand anything about how events were unfolding. He was still worried even now about whether he might really have drunk poison.

“It was very fortunate that we were able to get closer to you,” Leo gave him a small bow.

Gemili still didn't understand, but I'm sure there is no need to point the identity of the 'young, high-class girl' who approached him while he was going out to have fun every night...

There, in Aconrey, where there were no eyes to strictly monitor the clergyman, he indulged in the wine he was so fond of, and talked about everything that the girl asked him about. About how Bishop Baal had suddenly ordered him to temporarily leave for Atall, and how, for some reason, the monks travelling with him were all unfamiliar faces to Gemili. About how the monks were carrying a large casket containing 'sacred relics,' and how Baal had strictly admonished him not to touch it...

Naturally, information was also being hastily gathered from other directions, including details about the schedule for this meeting. They also found out that they would not be allowed to bring weapons into the room. Moreover, they found out that soldiers would be defending the road to the mansion 'just in case', so they also collected information on how many guards there would be and where they would be positioned.

“I was able to guess quite a lot from all that. Maybe about eighty percent. As for the remaining twenty percent... well, there's no point being too greedy, and we just had to take a gamble on the rest.”

“A gamble, you say,” there was a faint sheen of sweat on Neville's forehead as he repeated those words.

What had happened was neither a prank nor an act of mockery. The prince who stood before him had fully realised that the group from Dytiann were a secret unit sent to assassinate him. Even for Neville, who was usually calm and collected, the situation was as unexpected as it was horrifying.

Yet at the same time, there were a lot of points that Neville found hard to understand. It was his first time hearing that Oswell Taholin was in on this, but setting that aside, it seemed that even though Leo had figured out the real nature of the 'relics', he had not confiscated the weapons. And his own guards were unarmed. Had the contents of the casket been replaced? No, Neville and the soldiers of the Holy See had never had it out of their sight. They themselves had carried it into the room, and they had checked the contents just before doing so.

What is this? What's he thinking?

When he had first seen the prince, he had felt compassion for his youth, but now Leo towered before him as an enigmatic and powerful enemy. He felt thirsty. Even when he had been in the middle of ferocious battles, and even during his long imprisonment, or his time as a fugitive before that, not a single ripple had ever caused a disturbance in his heart. As far as Neville was concerned, the world would always be easy to understand. The pope's enemies were his enemies. And those who fought those enemies and who risked their life to accomplish the same goal as him were his friends. A man who could draw the world along such simple lines was one who could remain strong even to the very end. Neville's boldness, as well as his calm, came from that. But this time, too many complicated things were jumbled together.

Neville swallowed again. It felt like his throat was constricted. Just when he finally managed to open his mouth again – “Prince.”

By the window, the boy-soldier – Kuon, called out.

“They're making their move?” Leo asked shortly, his eyes still fixed on the group from Dytiann.

Kuon nodded. “About a hundred of them. They're divided into platoons, and they're using the bushes and the fountain as cover as they approach.”

“I see fire,” said Aqua, who was watching from another window. “They've probably prepared fire arrows.”

At that point, Leo's expression changed. The smile vanished from his lips, and his face took on a firm look.

“It's just as you heard. They will soon be attacking this place.”

“Attacking?” Neville was startled. “Are you going to kill us without even a proper interrogation because you think we tried to kill you?”

“Their target isn't you. It's me.” For a while now, Leo had been staring unblinkingly at Neville's face. “Oswell's soldiers have surrounded the mansion, and they will soon be shooting fire arrows. They think you've already killed me. But even if you hadn't, it wouldn't matter. The mansion would still be engulfed in flames, with armed soldiers waiting at the exits. All of you, as well as myself, are destined to end our lives here, as charred corpses.”

Around the same time as the events in the meeting room, the soldiers blockading the road to the mansion had lit bonfires and were keeping a careful watch on their surroundings by the light from them.

It was boring work. Normally, the happy-go-lucky soldiers would have brought liquor along, but this time, they had received strict orders from their domain lord to: “Let absolutely no one pass.” On top of which, Oswell had also insistently repeated to their captain that: “Even if something happens, you are not to leave your posts.”

“If villains try to attack, it's absolutely certain that they will create a distraction to divert the guards' attention. Do you understand? Spears would come raining down on you, so you are not to decide any kind of action on your own. Don't move even a single soldier. There are other units stationed closer to the mansion whose duty it is to protect the prince and the monks, so the only thing you should be thinking about is blockading the road. And don't forget it!”

That was how monumentally important their mission was.

The guards of course knew that Lord Leo was currently at the mansion. Up until a while ago, they had been exchanging comments on the sexy and beautiful landlady at a recently refurbished inn in Aconrey, but by now, they had used up their topics for idle chatter, and were keeping watch while fighting back yawns.

Just then, they felt the presence of a large group of people who had come from the direction of the town, and all of the guards quickly stood up, their weapons at the ready. Could there really be an attack on the mansion while the prince was in it... they wondered. But only for a second. Peaceful laughter was coming from the group. From their appearance, it looked like townspeople from Aconrey. Still, it was strange that they were headed towards a mansion in the suburbs at this time of day.

“Hold, hold,” the soldiers brandished their spears to stop them. “What's your business? You can't go any further than here. His Highness Lord Leo is here.”

After saying that, the soldiers tried to chase the group back, but the people – who included young and old, and men and women alike – looked displeased.

“His Highness is the one who asked us to come,” they announced. It was the first the soldiers had heard of it.

Although the prince's collapse had been kept as hidden as possible, rumours about it had flown around the town at astonishing speed. Several well-known merchants had then apparently gone to the castle with gifts, claiming that they were get-well presents. For safety reasons, very few of the items actually reached him personally, but Leo Attiel was impressed by the warmth of the people of Aconrey.

“It was thanks to your care and to your prayers that I recovered. I would dearly like for you all to come and see for yourselves how I've recovered,” he had said, and had officially anounced that he could be found that evening at the mansion which was being converted into a church.

“We didn't hear about anything like that,” the soldiers were bewildered. Word had spread throughout the entire town, and more people were arriving behind this first group.

“Hurry up and let us through. Otherwise, we won't get to see the prince!”

“W-Wait. I told you to wait. We'll go and have it confirmed. Don't you dare move from here!”

Soldiers and townspeople were pushing and tussling in the street when suddenly, the towspeople stopped protesting in annoyance and instead all started screaming.

Now what is it?

The townspeople pointed towards the wall. When the soldiers turned back and looked up, they too all let out involuntary shouts. Of all possible things, flames were rising from the mansion which was currently housing Lord Leo. The blaze was already so big that it cast a glow on people's faces, and it seemed to be burning with particular ferocity on the second floor of the building.

Naturally, the soldiers were also thrown into a panic. “No matter what happens, you can't let anyone through, and you can't move from your posts” – those were the firm order they had received from their domain lord. Part of the reason for those orders was so that, when Oswell returned because he had 'heard that there was a disturbance,' he would be able to lead these soldiers into chasing after the 'criminals'.

However, in Oswell's plan, that was only supposed to happen after the mansion was completely engulfed in flames. He had not thought for a second that there would be townspeople there to witness the fire.

The townspeople shouted at the soldiers, anger and worry in their voices.

“Hurry up and go put that fire out!”

“No, before that, you have to save His Highness!”

The soldiers also lost a lot of their vigilance. Taking advantage of that, several people broke free of the soldiers and tried to get closer to the mansion. But the gates were shut fast and the walls were high and perpendicular, making them impossible to climb.

At that moment, a new group of armed soldiers came running up. Judging from their uniforms, they must also have been on guard that evening.

“What are you standing about for? We have to get in there right away and rescue the prince,” they exclaimed, and ordered the original group of guards to open the gates.

“B-But, we received orders from Lord Oswell. There are other people guarding the mansion else...”

“You fools!” roared one of the new arrivals. “What if those guards have already been defeated? If you just stand there without doing anything, Lord Oswell will have your heads!”

True, that was probably what had happened. The captain of the guards, who had the key to the gates, opened them from the outside.

“Follow us!”

Urged on by the newly arrived group of soldiers, the guards who had been sternly ordered not to move from their posts also threw themselves into the estate.

Part 3

Smoke had entered the room and there were noises that sounded like the walls were shaking as they were hit by a quick succession of fire arrows. Neville's group cried out in fear, but Lord Leo glanced at the window with about as much interest as he would have if a strong wind were blowing, and got up from his seat.

“Once the ground floor is blocked because of the fire, we won't have any escape route. We'll go down.”

“H-Hold on,” Neville called out, feeling that he needed to gain some control over the situation. However –

“If you want to end up burned to a crisp, by all means, do as you like. But we have no reason to stay with you. Oh, right, we need to call the servants in the mansion. Since they're also caught up in this, it obviously means that they weren't part of the plot,” Leo started to leave, accompanied by his unarmed guards.

“Wait. We'll go first. Neville and the others will follow at the rear,” Godwin just barely managed to gather his wits.

Leo's group and the servants would be placed between the two halves of the Dytiann delegation, so that they could not escape. Leo, who had stopped walking away to listen, now shrugged.

“I'm fine with that too. Oh... don't forget the weapons. I'm sure you'll need them.”

He pointed to the casket as he said that.

It was embarrassing, but there was no point in hiding it now, so Neville and the others opened the casket, and handed out the various weapons to their companions.

Neville was holding a halberd, his weapon of choice. In addition to the sharp pike at its tip, there was an axe-head and a claw-like thorn mounted on the spear shaft. It was, of course, far heavier than an ordinary spear and could be used in far more ways when wielded with skill and discernment, but there were not many who had mastered the weapon to that degree. Neville took pride in being one of the few such masters, but who knew if that would be of any use in this situation.

We're being chased by fire and the one guiding us away from it is the target we were supposed to kill. And on top of that, he's saying that someone other than us is aiming for his life, and that we were also supposed to die here.

This had all been planned.

Neville understood that very well.

And he could easily guess that Baal and Oswell had secretly conspired together and were going to lay the entire blame for Leo's assassination on the soldiers of the old Holy See.

But what I don't get...

...Was Leo Attiel.

He had attended the meeting despite being fully aware of everything. And he must obviously have known that Neville's group has been given the task of murdering him. What was he trying to do by being so stupid as to face the danger of being cut down, on top of the risk of being burned alive thanks to Oswell?

Leo stopped at the entrance hall on the first floor. The building was still sound there, but the fire had already closed in to the point where the flames could be seen from where the group stood. Heat and thic smoke were starting to fill the area. At this rate, they were likely to suffocate before the fire had a chance to reach them.

Leo turned to Neville, who had arrived last, and jerked his chin towards the entrance.

“Break it down,” he said. Seeing Neville's surprise, he explained: “The doors are probably locked. You took a lot of trouble to bring those weapons along, so you might as well put them to good use.”

From his tone of voice, it sounded like he was spelling things out for a fool, incapable of understanding reason. Neville had gone beyond surprise and was now so literally dumbfounded that he could no longer speak, but the other soldiers were still highly excitable.

“Does a princeling from a tiny little country think that he can order us around?” they brandished their weapons, but before Neville and Godwin had time to stop them, Leo barked with laughter.

“Are you still talking about murdering me, at this point? You're so simple-minded it's almost cute. Then go on, tell me, what reason do you guys have for killing me? And once you've killed me, what exactly will you have achieved?”

“W-What!”

“The one who set you up to all of this was Bishop Baal, right? Who used to be your enemy. Baal was going to use you to get rid of me, and there was no way he was going to let you live after that. The names of those who murdered Lord Leo would be made public one after another, and you would have been held entirely responsible for the crime.”

Neville and the others had no way of knowing that right then, Leo was taking another gamble. He still had no definite proof of their real identities. But given that Baal was using them for his own ends, it meant that it would not harm the current regime in Dytiann if their names were openly revealed. Based on those facts, he speculated that they might well be part of the Holy See, and thus enemies of the government now in power.

Whether it was Neville, Godwin or the other soldiers, none of them were able to utter a word.

They had defended the Holy See to the bitter end. When the nobles and all those eminent clergymen with their impressive titles had fled before the fires of war, only the soldiers like them had remained among the flames, risking their lives to fight.

Their heavily wounded friends had smiled at them and said: “Well then, we'll be seeing you. With God's guidance, our souls will be safe in Heaven, so let's meet there again one day.” And with those words, they had gone charging in the lead to fight enemy units that outnumbered their own two or three times over. Their backs had stood in front of Neville and the others, who remembered each and every one of them.

At some point, the corner of Neville's eyes had grown hot. If their names were stained like this, they would never be able to face His Holiness the Pope, who had already left this world, nor their companions who had bravely gone their deaths. Better by far to perish in the fire.

No, he corrected that impulse. They couldn't die here. Even if they hadn't touched him, if their corpses were found with the dead prince, the crime would be pushed onto them.

“Guwah!” Neville swung his halberd and started to hack at the door, the axe-head crashing into the solid wood.

Godwin followed suit, using his longsword, and then other soldiers joined in after that. Before long, they had smashed the door to pieces. Before the fresh evening air could even blow in through it, Neville and his companions caught sight of a group of fully armed soldiers.

Oswell's handpicked men, no doubt. Unlike the unit which had been left to guard the road, this lot knew about the plot to assassinate Leo. And their mission was to kill every single person who attempted to escape from the mansion.

Upon seeing that the door had been hacked open, they had quickly readied their spears and shields yet, even though their faces were entirely hidden beneath their helmets, it was clear that they were shaken. It had been within their expectations that some people might manage to break out of the mansion, but they would never have imagined that Lord Leo would emerge together with the very group from the Holy See which was supposed to have already killed him.

Before the soldiers had time to get over the shock, Neville and his group launched their attack. These were men who had once born the duty of single-handedly defending the Holy See; and as was to be expected, their skill was outstanding. Neville's halberd was as swift and decisive as the wrath of God. He had already taken down one, then two soldiers before anyone had time to even blink.

Watching that from behind, Camus roared and picked up a spear which one of Oswell's fallen soldiers had dropped.

“I'll help you too. So I'd appreciate it if you don't mistake me for an enemy!”

With that, he stood next to Neville and added his spear to the fray. Kuon, Aqua and the other Personal Guards also grabbed weapons from the enemy and stood in ranks, guarding Leo as he made a leisurely exit from the broken door.

Friend and foes alike were being cut down. In the middle of that hard battle, Neville glanced back just once to where Leo was.

Surrounded by guards on either side, the prince was observing the fight with interest. That soldier who looked like a child was far stronger than Neville could ever have imagined. If an enemy started to get anywhere near the prince, he drew up to them as fast as the wind and struck them down with the speed of lightning.

In the middle of those frantic, hectic surroundings, only Lord Leo remained standing still, as the fighting had absolutely nothing to do with him. Appearance-wise, he was very thin, with sunken cheeks and haggard looks. Yet far from seeming frail, the atmosphere that enveloped him was somewhat detached, almost transcendental even. The fire blazed behind him, twisting and leaping like some huge dragon.

Neville's heart was shaken. He felt that he had just seen something that was far out of the ordinary.

He quickly turned back around and dealt with an enemy spear, hooking it by the claw of his halberd. He gave a sharp yank, and the spear was wrested out of his opponent's hands. Seizing that chance, the tip of Camus' weapon pierced the soldier's throat.

Godwin was also in the middle of an intense struggle as he swung his remarkably large sword. Every strike he took was so fierce that it almost seemed to raise a storm, and not a single one of Oswell's soldiers could find an opening to attack. As they staggered back, they soon got caught up in the tempest and their helmeted heads went flying.

But Neville and the others were only able to overrun the enemy for a short space of time. Even though the soldiers had initially been bewildered by the unexpected development, they still held the overwhelming numerical advantage. Platoons which had been stationed at different exits came running one after another to join the fight, until the small group was encircled by a net of enemies that was two or three rows deep.

The soldiers who had once been part of the Cruciform Army were all unflinchingly brave, but overturning this situation was all but impossible. Several of their companions had already fallen, and the net was slowly but surely tightening around them. If their numbers decreased any further, their hastily constructed formation would crumble and they would be trampled to the ground.

At this rate...

A hint of unease flitted across Neville's ascetic-looking face but, next to him, Camus was still wielding his spear like a man possessed and didn't show any sign of anxiety. Neville felt a strange sensation; it was looking at themselves, back when they had fought in the name of God without fear of death.

Just then, from the other side of the encircling net of soldiers, another group came hurrying. If those had been Leo's Personal Guards, it would have led to a dramatic reversal, but unfortunately, those were more of Oswell's men.

It was over.

Yet just when Neville was grinding his teeth, an astonishing thing occurred.

“Your Highness!”

“We'll save you!”

For some reason, the new group had started to break the encirclement from the rear.

These were the guards who had been blockading the road until just a while earlier.

─ Perhaps the simplest way to explain it would be to say that this was Oswell Taholin's one mistake.

It was absolutely normal that Oswell didn't tell too many people about his plan to assassinate the prince. The soldiers on guard had only received orders not to let anyone approach the mansion, to which he had added the strict injunction not to move from their posts no matter what happened, since it would be a problem for him if they moved into action upon seeing the mansion go up in flames.

But it was then that the unexpected happened. A great crowd of townspeople converged there and, on top of that, a different set of guards slipped in among them and shouted for the gates to be opened...

Correct: they were Leo's Personal Guards. While the prince had been bedridden, the Guards had collected the same kind of uniforms and equipment that Oswell's soldiers used. Among the chaos caused by the townspeople's outcry, tthey pretended to urge their fellow soldiers to open the gates. And so, what was the first thing that the soldiers on guard had seen when they rushed into the estate?

That goes without saying: it was the sight of Lord Leo surrounded by armed men. And just as naturally, they deduced that: “The armed group set fire to the mansion and is trying to kill the prince!” Which was how the situation developed in a strange and – as far as Oswell was concerned – remarkably unfortunate way, with soldiers who had originally been serving him now fighting against soldiers who also belonged to him.

“W-Wait!” Oswell's soldiers cried out in confusion.

“Don't bother arguing!” Those of Oswell's soldiers who had been in charge of guarding the roads were desperate to kill these bandits. They felt that in a way, the fire at the mansion was their own fault. True, Oswell and Lord Leo would probably reprimand them later, but, at the very least, they were determined that they would take down this band of villains themselves and protect the prince at all cost.

Now that things had come to this point, Oswell's soldiers had no hope of winning. They had already been having trouble with Neville's group, even though it wasn't a large one, and now they were being attacked on both sides.

Assailants, guards, soldiers of the Holy See and Leo's Personal Guards... there was a wide range of soldiers in that fight, but the flames shone on all of them equally, and the shadows they cast overlapped with one another, then disappeared one after another.

Part 4

When the pillars of the mansion collapsed and the second floor caved in with a resounding crash, there was someone who was planning to come galopping up just a little too late. That person was Oswell Taholin.

After leaving the meeting on the pretext that he had business to attend to, he launched himself into action with carefully planned timing.

“What! The mansion is burning?” He performed his part, pretending to hear the news from a soldier then hurriedly throwing himself on a horse.

Unlike Darren or Bernard, he had never once stood on the battlefield. And actually, he wasn't used to horses either, but it would look bad if he went by carriage or rode behind one of his subordinates. So, since there was no helping it, he rushed over on horseback. He travelled along the road while suffering a thousand torments.

The blaze was visible even from a distance. Although his heart was leaping with excitement, he made it look like he was unbearably worried about the prince's safety.

Even so, Oswell noticed something unexpected along the way: the guards who should have been blockading the road were not there. In his initial plan, he was supposed to come galloping up and find them staring in shock and horror at the fire, at which point he would have yelled at them: “What are you doing? Can't you even move unless you're told to? Follow me! We're going to save His Highness!” After which, he would have lead them to the mansion.

But the soldiers weren't there and instead, there was a gathering of townspeople.

“It's Lord Taholin,” a sharp-eyed youth pointed towards Oswell.

“Lord Oswell is here!” a man past his forties cried out with relief.

“Please, you have to hurry to the prince!” a woman begged him, clasping her hands.

Oswell had a bad feeling. Still, now that he had attracted so much attention – and since they knew that the prince had been attacked – he could no longer turn back.

As long as the results are there, it's fine, Oswell decided, changing his mind.

Even if the guards had been drawn towards the blaze, Leo was certainly dead inside the building. “After the mansion which was being renovated into a church burned down, the only thing we found were the remains of Lord Leo and of the monks from Dytiann. And as a matter of fact, it appears that those monks belonged to the former Holy See, and that they were enemies of the current Church” – things would still be fine as long as those facts remained.

And so, Oswell only had a few soldiers with him as he arrived at what remained of the new church, which barely even resembled a building by now. The first thing which caught his eye were the corpses of soldiers littering the front garden. They had been part of the unit which had set fire to the place.

Oh! – just as he was starting to really worry, his eye alighted on what looked like good news for him.

Neville, Godwin and the rest of the group from Dytiann were surrounded by the road guards.

“G-Good work,” Oswell called out, practically tumbling from his horse in his haste to get down from it. “Are they the criminals? From what I've heard, they suddenly grabbed weapons and attacked the prince during the meeting, is that right?”

There had been some unexpected developments along the way, but the end result was still the same. The prince's party was unarmed, so they couldn't have failed to be killed. The main purpose had been achieved, so afterwards, he just needed to pretend that Neville's captured group had been made to confess, and everything else would go as planned.

Oswell crumpled to his knees.

“How can this be!”

It was a magnificent play, performed by a world-class actor. As the endless mass of dark smoke was sucked into the night sky, he roared in a voice so powerful that his throat was trembling.

“If only I hadn't left the mansion... Oh, Your Highness, Your Highness, forgive me! What could be more bitter than knowing that something like this happened in my territory...”

“You don't need to blame yourself to that extent, Oswell.”

“W-What are you saying? His Highness is dead. So how could I not blame myself...”

Out of reflex, Oswell turned to look towards the voice that had spoken to him, and his eyes almost started out of his head.

From behind Neville and Godwin, Leo Attiel appeared with unhurried steps. Oswell felt like he was seeing a ghost.

“Did I die? You're awfully hasty, Oswell. As you can see, I'm as well as can be. So there's no need for you to blame yourself to that extent.”

“Ah... Oh...” Oswell could only blink in confusion, unable to say a word.

H-How? How!? He howled inwardly. Those useless bastards! What peerless soldiers of the Cruciform Army'? They couldn't even kill one unguarded brat!

“Nevertheless, Oswell... It's true that security was lacking. I almost lost my life.”

“T-That... yes, of course... huh, that's...” Oswell spluttered, barely managing to say anything at all. Sweat was pouring like a waterfall from his brow, and he was desperate to mop it up. “B-But it's inexcusable to have targeted your life, Your Highness. Are these the culprits?”

He pointed towards Neville and the others, but Leo laughed the idea to scorn.

“Them, the criminals? Certainly not. They're the ones who saved me from the attackers.”

Oswell gulped. The looks that Neville, Godwin and the others were directing towards him were as sharp as the bloody blades of their weapons.

“Now then,” Leo glanced back towards the remains of the mansion that were still merrily blazing away, “let’s go somewhere where we can talk for a bit, Oswell.”

From where he crouched, still collapsed on the ground, Oswell Taholin hunched his shoulders slightly.

Leo Attiel entered Aconrey’s castle with Camus and Kuon in tow. To Oswell’s amazement, there were already soldiers from the Personal Guards stationed throughout the building. According to the castle servants, these soldiers had barged in and started searching the rooms.

“I had them search,” Leo said laconically. He explained that since he did not know who had tried to kill him, he had extended his investigation far and wide.

Oswell could not oppose him. Even though this was his own castle, Leo all but guided him to a narrow room in the watchtower within its right wing. It was a dreary place, with a rough wooden table and several chairs sandwiched between the stone walls, and it was only used by soldiers on guard duty when they took their breaks.

Leo first sat down, then gestured to Oswell to take a seat opposite him.

While Oswell sat with his face turned downwards, waiting for what Leo had to say, the second prince of Atall studied the room with considerable interest.

“I-It can’t possibly be...” Finally, unable to bear the piercing silence any longer, Oswell opened his mouth to speak. Leo turned to look at him and Oswell ran his tongue over his parched lips before continuing. “It can’t possibly be, Your Highness, that you suspect me?”

“I’m only having the castle searched to be on the safe side. If anything, it will help make sure that no suspicion falls on you in the future, Lord Taholin.”

“I-Is that so? B-But, I’ve heard that there are some bad rumours going around. When Your Highness collapsed, some were saying that I might have poisoned you...”

“My life is made to be targeted,” Leo said cheerfully as he pointed to his own chest. “I was almost killed when I was in Allion. Darren attacked me in the resort area. And now this time as well. My life has been targeted so often that nowadays, every time I meet someone, I wonder if they aren’t trying to kill me. So Oswell, I wouldn’t be surprised even if you had tried to poison me.”

“P-Please don’t joke about it,” his sweat was still flowing freely. It was almost impossible to believe that this was the same man whose attitude had been that of an adult talking to a mere child when he had spoken with Leo at the banquet held for Hayden.

Drinks were brought in at that point. Leo picked up both of the cups brimming with wine and held one out to Oswell.

“Father Gemili of Dytiann greatly enjoyed this. I brought it over from Bernard’s lands. Apparently, it’s a good area for producing wine.”

“Er, yes, the wine there is... er, really...” Oswell answered absently while desperately trying to think of a way to talk himself out of this situation.

It was obvious that Leo suspected him. First things first, what method could he use to negotiate his way out of this position? Should he spout enough lies to fill up the entire castle, or maybe cling tearfully to the much younger Leo? Either way, whatever worked.

Then, as soon as he was let free, he would have no choice but to flee to Allion to seek asylum. Unfortunately, he would have to resign himself to not receiving the splendid welcome that he had once imagined. When he pictured the miserable sight of himself escaping by night to avoid people’s attention, Oswell wanted to cry.

He took the wine cup and poured, first one, then a second mouthful down his throat.

“Is it tasty?”

“Oh yes,” he answered while completely unable to taste anything. “Y-Your Highness, the Taholin family shares a strong relationship with the princely house. Please, I beg of you to calmly consider the truth without being deceived by absurd rumours.”

“And that's what I've told you I'm doing.”

“Yes, that may be so, but...” Oswell started to argue further, but his words came out slurred. It looked like he was unusually tense.

Oswell tried to pull himself together and align his arguments, but now it felt like the entire interior of his mouth had gone numb and he couldn't even tell if his mouth was open or not. Saliva dribbled from his lips.

“Yurr Hinass,” he spoke indistinctly, “Y-Yurr Hinass...”

“Is the wine tasty, Oswell?” Leo asked again.

Oswell felt as though he had been struck in the middle of the forehead. He tried to rise from his seat, but had no strength to do so. His chair fell backwards, and Oswell landed pathetically on his backside.

“L-Leo, Leeeoh, you... bastard...”

He tried to stand up by holding on to the wall. His legs were shaking like those of a new-born calf, and his waist was trembling, but he finally managed to stand, only for his hands to suddenly slip. His nails left faint scratch marks behind them as he collapsed into a crouch, coughing violently. The wine that he had drunk earlier splattered against the stone floor. He threw up a second time.

That's...

Oswell fearfully wiped his mouth. That red colour didn't only come from the wine. It was blood.

His breathing suddenly grew rough. Something as simple as just breathing in and breathing out had become so very difficult all of a sudden.

He couldn't breathe in. Or out.

He felt dizzy. Even though he was supposed to be nearby, the contours of Leo Attiel's figure had become hazy, as though the details wouldn't bind together anymore. But within Oswell Taholin's field of vision, he could still make out the strange smile on Leo's face.

That bastard.... that bastard...

Oswell unconsciously clawed at his own chest. He tore at his clothes as if they were suffocating him. When he had scratched enough at his chest, he collapsed, face up.

Oswell's mind would never puzzle over anything ever again.

After watching the whole scene unfold, Leo drank what remained of his own wine and stood up.

“What is this?” he asked Camus, who had been by his side the whole time.

The warrior monk from Conscon Temple bowed his head.

“Lord Oswell Taholin probably couldn't bear the thought of facing his punishment. While being interrogated by His Highness Leo, he resigned himself to the fact that he could no longer hope to escape, and so mixed the poison that he had been concealing within his clothes into his wine. He committed suicide.”

“I see,” Leo nodded expressionlessly. “Then that's how it is.”

“Aye, that's how it is,” Camus bowed. His manner was as unwavering as an iron wall. He was, after all, a man who had decided that if Leo drank poison, then he would drink it too.

Camus continued to bow as he watched Leo Attiel leave the narrow room. The wind was blowing listlessly as the prince stepped out of the watchtower. The clouds must have finally lifted since there were countless stars in the sky when he looked up.

“Somebody... Is anybody there?” He heard Camus call loudly from inside the room. It was already late at night, but many people were still up and about inside the castle. The whole place would soon be in uproar.

As though wanting to enjoy the brief moment of quiet before that happened, Leo continued to look up at the stars for a long time.