Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade: Volume 5, page 12
Upon hearing this, Sofitia temporarily found herself lost for words. She had been quite assured that, though Olivia might hesitate, she would, in the end, accept her proposal.
“May I presume to ask why?” she asked at length. Olivia ran her finger along the rim of her teacup.
“If I left,” she said, “someone would die. Straightaway.” She smiled helplessly. Sofitia saw the kind face of a young man in her mind’s eye.
“Are you perhaps referring to Ashton?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“In other words, it’s because you cannot leave him that you are staying with the Royal Army?”
Olivia nodded.
Although Sofitia had not disclosed this to any of her subjects, her schemes had in fact extended beyond Olivia—she also wanted Ashton in the Winged Crusaders too. She had heard of his reputation as a genius tactician who had been a thorn in the side of the empire. However, her sources also informed her that he was unflinchingly loyal. Upon seeing how wary he was of her, Sofitia had quickly decided he would be unreceptive to her advances.
“Then you are content to forget about Z?”
“I am not!” Olivia cried, slamming her hands down on the table and leaping to her feet. Her eyes were wide. “I absolutely want to find Z!”
“Well, then...”
Olivia sat down again, then said haltingly, “At first, you know, I couldn’t have cared less about humans. I wasn’t interested.”
Sofitia was a little disconcerted to hear Olivia speak as though she weren’t a human herself, but she listened without interrupting.
“But then Ashton fell down the cliff, and I told Claudia to calm down, but then I thought, what if Ashton died? And it was like something warm and soft went out inside me and I felt all cold. I think if it had been Claudia who fell off the cliff, I’d have felt the same way. You know, when Z suddenly disappeared, it hurt like someone was squeezing my heart. So long as I’m alive, I believe I’ll be able to see Z again. But Ashton’s different. Without me, Ashton could die, just like that. And then I’d never be able to see him again. So...yeah.”
As though it had been waiting for Olivia to finish, the bell that heralded nightfall tolled. Its sound marked the end of the dinner Sofitia had planned.
It sounds as though she will not be easily persuaded, she thought. All right. What will she do if she loses her precious friends, I wonder?
The faces of Ashton and Claudia flashed through her mind. But no sooner had she had this thought than she found Olivia staring intensely at her. The girl’s rosy lips opened.
“A friend would never think that sort of thing,” she said.
“What?”
“And we only just became friends. I don’t want to have to kill you.”
Up close, the ebony of Olivia’s eyes looked deeper than ever. Under their gaze, a strange sensation came over Sofitia, as though something beyond her ability to fathom was drawing her in. She realized that cold sweat was trickling down her spine.
Surely not... she thought. I can’t be scared, can I?
It was Sofitia’s first encounter with the emotion, and it left her shaken. In a clear voice, she said, “I do apologize, but I’m not sure what it is you mean.”
“You really don’t know?”
“I do not.”
“Hmm...” Olivia paused, then said, “Oh, well. I do want us to stay friends, so I’ll take your word for it this time. Now, it’s about time I went home.” With a glance up at the ceiling, Olivia stood.
“I’ll have a carriage—” Sofitia began, about to call for the butler, but Olivia cut her off with a wave of her hand.
“Don’t worry, it’s not far. I’ll walk. I don’t need a send-off.” And with that, she swept lightly out of the dining hall. Sofitia, who had half stood up, sat back down again, then let out a small sigh. She stared at the wavering light of the candle before her.
Immediately after this, a man clad all in black dropped lightly down from the ceiling.
“Hello, Jozer,” Sofitia said. “What did you make of her?”
“She appeared to me just as much—if not more so—a monster as the rumors said. I erased all trace of my aura, yet she not only noticed me, she happily pretended to ignore me. It was as though she were telling me she could kill me whenever she felt like it. It would be a grave mistake to make an enemy of her.”
“If the assassin they call the ‘Evangelist of Death’ says so, it must be true.”
“That is all in the past, My Seraph. Today, I am your loyal servant. But for now, I humbly beg that you will not take any hasty action. Excuse me.” With that, Jozer returned to his position in the rafters.
Sofitia downed what remained of her wine in a single gulp. She really threatened me—the seraph! I find myself liking her more and more. A temporary retreat is in order for now, but I will need her power to unify Duvedirica. I am certainly not about to give up.
Pushing the great doors open, she stepped out onto the balcony and spread her arms wide. A brilliant smile spread across her face as she bathed in the silver light of the moon.
IV
Autumn had come in earnest to the courtyard within La Chaim Palace. Gray squirrels scurried busily through the gaps between the trees, their cheeks bulging as they carried nuts and berries back to their nests in a reminder that winter was near at hand.
I thought I’d find you here. A young man walked forward over the fallen leaves that covered the ground like a scarlet carpet, pushing his flaxen hair back. He approached the small table where Sofitia sat, daintily sipping a cup of tea.
“It’s over then?” Sofitia asked, not looking at Johann.
“Yes, my Seraph. They set off not long ago along with the Seraphic Guard.”
“Thank you for doing the send-off. Now that you’re here, why don’t you join me?”
“It would be my honor.” Johann sat down, then asked the servant for leygrantz tea before looking directly at Sofitia. There was something out of the ordinary in her beautiful visage.
“You’ve been looking very stern of late, Johann,” Sofitia said teasingly. Johann rubbed his head.
“More to the point, are you sure about letting things end like this?” It scarcely needed to be said that he was talking about Olivia’s departure. Johann knew from Lara’s grumbling that ever since the incident with the Norfess, Sofitia’s desire to obtain Olivia had only grown more intense.
Sofitia sat her teacup down and regarded Johann for a long moment. “I didn’t think you were especially enthusiastic about the plan, Johann.” She smiled softly.
Johann didn’t remember ever opposing bringing Olivia into the Winged Crusaders—at least, not out loud. Sofitia had seen straight through him. He suppressed a grimace.
“On a personal level, perhaps. But there’s no doubt that Olivia’s strength will be fundamental, both for the future of Mekia, and to achieve domination over Duvedirica.”
“I quite agree. Only now that she has refused us, we have no choice but to quietly withdraw. Or would you like to try and persuade her?” There was a wicked gleam in Sofitia’s eyes as she looked at him. Johann’s words caught in his throat. If ordered, he would of course try, but he thought the effort would be in vain.
She’s the type to never back down once she’s made her mind up. Johann had been involved with enough women to feel confident in this assessment.
“I doubt my efforts to persuade her would change anything.”
“Then I shall simply have to do my best.” Sofitia gallantly raised her willowy arm, fist clenched. It was positively adorable.
“You haven’t given up, then?” he asked.
“Don’t you know, Johann?”
“Know what, My Seraph?”
“I’m a woman who never knows when to quit,” she said, then poked her tongue out from between her rosy lips. A chill wind teased at her hair.
Come to think of it, Sofitia never backs down once she’s made her mind up either. His mischief-loving ruler, it seemed, had no intention of giving up on Olivia. Johann looked up at the piercingly clear blue sky and laughed aloud.
V
Felix’s Workroom at Listelein Castle, Olsted
Felix was in his workroom, locked in combat with a stack of paperwork, when the news of Gladden’s death reached him.
“I’m sorry. Would you mind repeating that?” He set down his pen and stared aghast at Lieutenant Teresa.
“Field Marshal Gladden passed away this morning,” she said again, her eyes downcast. Felix had last seen Gladden three months prior. At the time, he hadn’t noticed anything amiss. He had of course never heard anything about the marshal suffering from any disease.
“Is the cause of death known?”
“Not at present...” Teresa replied. “Only, he is said to have passed away in his own home.”
“At home? Marshal Gladden had come home?”
“It seems so.”
“That is odd...” If Gladden were back in the capital, he would have called in on Felix. At least, that was what he had done in the past. Felix was therefore privately suspicious.
“According to the guard who accompanied the lord marshal, he returned to the capital in haste in order to meet with Chancellor Darmés.”
Hearing this, everything fell into place at once. In their current situation, there was only one reason Gladden would have rushed back to the capital. He must have come to negotiate with Chancellor Darmés about Death God Olivia. That fit with the letters Felix had periodically sent to Gladden.
And then there’s what happens next. For now, I need a better grasp of the situation. Felix hurriedly tidied away his paperwork and stood up. Teresa, as though reading his mind, took his jacket from its hanger and held it out.
“I’ll send for a carriage at once,” she said as she began readying herself to leave.
“There’s no need for a carriage. I’ll walk.”
“Very well, ser.”
Blessing Teresa for understanding his intentions without his having to say a word, Felix set off with her for Gladden’s estate.
The Hildesheimer Estate in the Privileged District
Gladden’s house was spectacular, yet on this day, it cast a dark shadow. Felix and Teresa followed Duchess Liana, her face worn and haggard, to where they were reunited with Gladden, lying in his bed. At a glance, he appeared to be merely sleeping.
“I know it is heartless to ask this of you at a time like this, but please tell me. How did your husband seem when he returned home?”
“He was a little tired,” Liana replied at length, “but he had scarcely made it through the gate before he was playing with our son. And at dinner, he said my cooking tasted exceptional after so long...” The memory of the evening must have come back to Liana, because her shoulders shook, and she let out a tiny moan. Teresa looked at her with deep sorrow.
Felix waited until Liana had regained her composure, then asked, “How was he yesterday?”
“He was... After returning from Listelein Castle, he was strange.”
“How was he strange?”
“He didn’t respond when I spoke to him, and...at first, I thought perhaps something disagreeable had happened at the castle, but even then, his total lack of reaction to me was unnatural. In the end, he shut himself up in his room without eating a bite of dinner. Then this morning, usually, he rises earlier than anyone else to do his exercises, but when there was no sign of him coming out, I...”
“That was when you went in to check on him?”
“Yes...”
“What did the healer say, by the way?”
“They said it was likely a natural death...” Liana stroked Gladden’s cheek, then, like a dam bursting, tears began to pour down her cheeks. The dog at her side pushed himself up against her, as though to comfort his mistress.
Felix imagined his sister Luna dying without warning. It struck him close to home.
So the healer couldn’t pin down the cause of death... Any healer treating Gladden would undoubtedly be highly competent, but that wasn’t the same as being all-powerful. In reality, it wasn’t uncommon for the cause of death to remain unclear, and Felix wasn’t in the habit of doubting a healer’s diagnosis. At the same time, ever since stepping foot in this room, he’d felt something wrong.
“Duchess Liana, would you permit me to touch Marshal Gladden’s body?”
“Do you have a healer’s license, Lord Sieger?”
“Oh, no, that’s not it...”
Liana looked bewildered, but she took a step back from Gladden. Felix thanked her, then softly laid a hand on Gladden’s neck.
His neck is clearly broken, he thought. This alone was abnormal enough. Felix’s first thought was that this had not been a natural death, but an assassination. But he couldn’t affirm his own theory right away. As one of the empire’s Three Generals, Gladden’s estate was under heavy guard at all times. Even Felix would have struggled to enter. Besides that, it was unusual that, apart from his broken neck, Gladden’s body showed no sign whatsoever of external injury. Applying enough force to break bones should have left behind some mark.
I suppose I’ll have to look further. Felix laid a hand on the pressure point below Gladden’s navel, then closed his eyes and focused his mind.
“Lord...Lord Sieger? What is all this...?”
“There is no need to worry, Duchess,” Teresa said soothingly in response to Liana’s deepening confusion. Felix, meanwhile, honed his mind to a fine point, then sent his Odh running through Gladden’s whole body. Not long after, a change began to take place within it.
These are signs of magecraft, beyond a doubt. Which means Lord Gladden was likely attacked by a mage. When a person was affected by magecraft, the signs of it remained in their body for several days afterward. A person without training in manipulating their Odh could neither see nor perceive these signs, but to Felix, the remnants of the spell were clear as day.
He was now certain that Gladden had not died a natural death. He had been murdered with magecraft. But that means...
Mages were few and far between. Felix only knew of three currently alive: Amelia Stolast, Johann Strider, and Lassara sun Halbert. Assuming he could immediately discount Lassara, that automatically reduced the list of suspects for Gladden’s assassination down to two.
Yet here, Felix felt something wasn’t right. After having crossed swords with both of them, Johann didn’t seem to him the sort of man to favor assassination. Amelia might have, but from her past behavior, Felix thought she’d surely have come straight for his head.
And there are other questions too. Felix ran his eyes over Gladden once more. To his mystification, he found not the dark gray he was used to, but a beautiful white that seemed to glow. Even within magecraft, there were many and varied practices. It therefore followed that the residue too would vary. But Felix, at least, had never seen the likes of this before. He was eager to get to the bottom of it.
If I could only show him to Lassara, she would shed some light on this... Lassara, who had lived through more than two hundred years, despised the exploitation of magecraft and so had secluded herself in the White Forest. Even if he went to her on his hands and knees and asked her to come to the capital, Felix knew she’d only laugh him off.
And more importantly... Felix glanced at Liana. If he took Gladden’s body to Lassara, she wouldn’t refuse him, but he could never have asked the grieving Liana to allow him to take her husband from her. In the end, he and Teresa left the room without acquiring any conclusive evidence. Outside the door, Gladden’s young son sat curled up with his knees hugged to his chest. Felix could find nothing to say to him.
“Was there something suspicious about Marshal Gladden’s death, then?” Teresa asked shrewdly, after they had walked in silence for a while following their departure from the Hildesheimer estate.
“There were several concerning points,” Felix replied. Teresa was a trustworthy aide, but even then, he shied from referencing his thoughts here. If news of Gladden’s death became public, the imperial army would be thrown into chaos. The knowledge that it had been an assassination, and at the hands of a mage, no less, would only add fuel to the fire. The best course of action, Felix decided, was to keep what he knew to himself. Teresa didn’t ask any further questions, and they walked side by side in silence.
“I plan on calling on Chancellor Darmés next. When we get back to the castle, put in a request for an urgent audience.”
“Very well, ser.”
Darmés would have already heard of Gladden’s death. Felix naturally wanted to ask him how the marshal had seemed the previous day, as well as what was to be done with the Helios Knights. Unconsciously, Felix quickened his steps as they made their way to the castle.
Chancellor Darmés’s Workroom, Listelein Castle
It had been three hours since Felix and Teresa’s return to the castle. Felix, looking over the table at Darmés, didn’t hesitate to broach the subject of Gladden’s death. The chancellor’s face darkened dramatically.
“I, too, was shocked at the suddenness of the news. I have just informed His Imperial Highness.”
“How was the emperor?”
“His Highness takes it very hard. He has instructed me to arrange for a funeral worthy of one of the Three Generals.”
“I see...” Felix replied. “By the by, I believe you met with Marshal Gladden yesterday. I would appreciate it if you could tell me how he seemed to you.”
“He is supposed to have died of natural causes.”
“Yes,” Felix said slowly. “Only, the precise cause remains unclear.”
“Well, healers are not all-powerful,” Darmés replied. “But you asked about Gladden’s manner. It was our first meeting in a long while, but to my eyes, he seemed as he always was.”
“There was nothing that struck you as odd, then?”
“No, I regret to say there was not.” Darmés sipped his tea, a sorrowful look on his face. To Felix, who knew Gladden’s reasons for coming back to the capital, it smacked of melodrama.
