Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade: Volume 5, page 14
“May I take that to mean you intend to weather the siege?”
“Did it sound like I said something else?” Seeing Oscar’s look of surprise, Rosenmarie smirked. “What, you thought I’d ride into battle?”
“You see through me, my lady.”
“This time, at least, I have no choice but to tread carefully.”
She had been excessively arrogant in the battle on the northern front, sure she wouldn’t lose. As a result, she had suffered a bitter defeat at the hands of Olivia and the Seventh Legion. One defeat was more than enough for her.
“But you do intend to meet them in battle in the end, do you not?”
“I can see how you ended up chief of staff. You see just how it is. I plan to wait until the Royal Army reaches its culminating point, then go on the offensive.”
“In that case, I’d like to secure supplies to enable us to hold out over a long siege,” Oscar said, then held a piece of paper out to her. “If I could have you sign here.”
Rosenmarie looked over the document, her mouth curling involuntarily. Directives had already been issued to all the concerned parties. All that remained was for her to put down her signature.
“You and I were thinking along the same lines, Oscar,” she said.
“The Helios Knights have no intentions of lying down and accepting a second defeat. We share the Crimson Knights’—we share your feelings, Lady Rosenmarie.”
“It seems so.”
Now that Gladden would never clear his sullied reputation, they would be eager to do so in his stead. Rosenmarie could feel Oscar’s fierce determination. Picking up a pen, she signed her name in a flowing hand, then passed the paper back to him.
“The problem will be Death God Olivia...”
“Leave her to me. The Land of the Dead is too mild a fate for that one. I’m going to send her straight down to hell.”
“At the risk of rebuke, I must ask,” Oscar said hesitantly. “Is there any chance of victory against the Death God?”
Everyone knew that Rosenmarie had lost to Death God Olivia in single combat. She couldn’t fault Oscar for his concern, which was eminently reasonable.
“Don’t worry. I’m not a big enough moron to go up against her a second time without a plan.”
“May I take that to mean that you believe there is a chance to win?”
“I haven’t been sitting on my hands, you know. I’ve learned a lot, thanks to Felix.”
In the midst of single combat, Olivia had used the word “Odh.” Rosenmarie had remembered that Felix had previously used that same word. After going to him, she now knew both of the existence of Odh, as well as how to use it.
“Did Lord Felix teach you some kind of trick to use in battle?”
“That’s right. Well, to put it simply, up until now, I might as well have been a newborn.”
According to Felix, despite the great volume of Odh in her body, because she didn’t know how to use it, she had been discharging it to no purpose. Thinking back now, Olivia must have been closely attuned with her Odh. In battle, the ability to effectively manipulate Odh made a world of difference. When she fought Olivia, she had been like an infant going up against a full-grown adult. As such, now that she had learned how to use her Odh, she couldn’t possibly lose.
Rosenmarie smirked as she imagined meeting Olivia once more.
“You seem very confident, my lady.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Now, I’ll handle Death God Olivia. Your job, Oscar, is to prepare the fortress to withstand a siege, without delay.”
“Yes, ser!”
When Oscar had left, Rosenmarie leaned back in her chair and raised a hand up to the ceiling. When she focused on it, she saw a flicker like the air over a flame.
This time, Death God Olivia, your pathetic life is mine.
Rosenmarie’s uplifted eyes were the color of blood.
II
Crimson Liber, the Seventh City of the United City-States of Sutherland
Four days’ gallop to the southwest of the Twelfth City of Northern Perscilla lay the Seventh City of Crimson Liber. The city was governed by Cassanoah Bell Schteinz, a man mockingly referred to by the rulers of the other city-states as “the Bat.”
On the third story of a tavern in the center of the city called the Eyes of Medeus, in a corner room that usually went unused, sat a group of figures all dressed in black at a round table. Each of them wore a black mask that concealed their face, creating an unsettling atmosphere.
“It’s been a long time now since we lost touch with Hilma. He’s blown it, like as not...” The speaker was a man whose enormous size belied his advanced age.
“I warned him a thousand times,” spat another man with a bolt of lightning painted over the right eye of his mask. His name was Nefer. “This is what happens when he doesn’t listen.”
“Hilma was a particularly talented assassin, even among the Asura. I suppose he was confident.”
“That’s hardly worth mentioning if this is the result,” said Krishna, the woman sitting next to Nefer, with a snort of laughter. The left eye of her mask was adorned by a stunning butterfly in dazzling colors.
“No hope of getting Felix to act, then?” said the giant man. Nefer shook his head.
“That one abhors his noble Asuran blood. He’s never going to work with us. Even you couldn’t change his mind if you went to him yourself, Elder.”
The elder, stroking his white beard that protruded from the bottom of his mask, let out a small sigh. “Felix was most beloved by the Asura. Such a pity...”
“If you’re that eager to make him listen to you, why not take a hostage?” suggested Krishna. “I believe he has a sister called Luna, doesn’t he?”
“Don’t even go there,” Nefer said with a pained smile.
“Why? It’s not a bad move.”
“When he refused our invitation, I responded just as Krishna did now. Now, how do you think he responded?”
“I’ve no idea. What did he say?”
“He said if we laid a finger on any of his friends or family, he’d murder every last one of us.”
“Murder all of us...?” A cruel smile played around Krishna’s lips. “How very amusing. Of course, if he believes he can pull it off, he is more than welcome to try.” The other Asuras expressed their ardent agreement. The debate over Felix continued, growing more heated, until at last they came to the idea of eliminating Felix for good.
At this, Nefer held up his hands. “I’m out. Anyone who wants to do him in can be my guest.”
“Does that mean you’re giving in to his threat, then?”
“Let me ask you this. Do you think if you all took Felix on together, you could kill him?”
Krishna chuckled. “That’s a terrible joke.”
“That’s enough from both of you!” The elder banged his fist down. There was a resounding crack, and the table gave way. “Squabbling among ourselves does us no good! I will judge when the time is right to deal with Felix. What I will not stand for is any hasty action.”
“I beg your pardon, Elder,” Krishna said, bowing low. When Nefer only shrugged without a shred of repentance, she rose, overcome by fury, but the elder raised a hand to stop her.
“In any case, Hilma lost to the Deep Folk girl. As Nefer assessed, she is far more skilled than any of the Deep Folk we have slain in the past, despite her youth. I don’t need to tell you that if we are to honor the ancient contract, we must exterminate every last offshoot of the Deep Folk. From here on, you’re not to fight her alone.”
The others all nodded dutifully. Just then, there was a creak from the staircase and the sound of footsteps. A ripple of shock went around the room. The footsteps came to a halt in front of the door, which was then thrown wide open.
“I thought I heard a terrific bang from— Hey! How come the table’s broken?!”
The tavern keeper cast his eyes around the room, looking utterly bewildered.
The Asura, who should have been at the table, were gone as though they had never been there to begin with.
III
The Audience Chamber at Leticia Castle, the Kingdom of Fernest
It was the day following Olivia’s return to Fernest after refusing Sofitia’s offer.
“—And did Lady Sofitia speak of me at all?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Surely not. Not, say, of the king of a great nation?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Perhaps you weren’t listening to her properly, Olivia? Her beauty really is something else, after all. I’m sure she at least mentioned thinking fondly of me?”
“No, she didn’t say anything like that.”
Alfonse moaned in disbelief. “Something trivial will do! There must have been something, anything!”
“There was nothing trivial either.”
While the royal guards looked on nervously, Alfonse and Olivia went through the same exchange over and over again, not getting anywhere at all.
Olivia had scarcely set foot back in Fis when orders had arrived that she was to report to the castle, summoned by none other than King Alfonse himself. Olivia had gone along cheerfully, thinking he might have another towering cake for her. When she arrived, however, there was no cake awaiting her—only Alfonse, desperate to question her about Sofitia. Cornelius stood beside him, but when Olivia glanced over at him, he only shook his head helplessly. This conversation wasn’t going to end anytime soon, Olivia concluded with a heavy sigh.
But when it does end, there’s got to be cake. I just have to hold out ’til then.
Struggling as hard as she could to suppress a yawn, she waited patiently for Alfonse to finish.
“Hmm. All you have told us shows Lady Sofitia to be a woman of graceful reserve. Yes, quite. Thank you, Olivia.”
Olivia had no idea where he had gotten “graceful reserve” from. They hadn’t even managed to have a proper conversation. Still, it was over, and so Olivia seized her chance.
“Okay, I’d like my tower cake now, please.”
“Eh? Your...your tower cake?”
“Yes. My tower cake.”
Alfonse’s face tinged with confusion. “I have no idea what you refer to, but I suggest you be on your way without delay. As a general now, I’m sure you have much to do. The Twin Lions at Dawn offensive is imminent, after all.”
With the thing itself she had hoped for failing to materialize, Olivia’s shoulders sagged dramatically. Even after she’d become a general, Claudia dealt with the majority of her work for her, so she wasn’t busy at all—but she wasn’t concerned with that right now. Now that she understood she wasn’t getting any cake, she had no reason to remain in such a tedious place, even without Alfonse telling her.
“By your leave, Your Majesty.” Olivia gave a perfunctory salute, then made a quick exit from the audience chamber. As Alfonse began to rhapsodize about Sofitia’s character, Cornelius listened, wincing.
IV
Noffohm Province, the Kingdom of Fernest
Claudia, having taken a leave of absence in the lead-up to the Twin Lions at Dawn Offensive, took a trip to her family’s home in Noffohm. Originally, she had planned to go alone.
“Are we there yet?”
“You’ll see it at the top of this rise.”
“Right, of course.”
Beside her, Olivia nodded knowingly. When Claudia had informed her of her plan to return home, Olivia, without missing a beat, had announced that she was coming too. Without any particular reason to refuse, Claudia had set off from the capital with Olivia in tow, and now here they were.
“Like I told you before, there’s nothing interesting here.”
“I know. I just wanted to see your house.”
“Well, if you say so...” Claudia adjusted her pack, then walked on, heading for the house at the top of the hill. Just then, a white bird fluttering through the sky dived down toward her.
“Haven’t seen you in a while,” Claudia said. The bird was a heisel, one of the messenger birds of the Jung family. It had pure white wings that contrasted beautifully with the indigo plumage on its back. Perching on Claudia’s shoulder, it launched into a rousing song.
Olivia gazed at it, her eyes sparkling. “Hey, do you think it’ll sit on my shoulder?”
“I’m afraid that may be difficult; they’re very temperamental birds...”
Heisels were birds of prey, very proud and very wary. This one had only begun to perch on Claudia’s shoulder a few years previously. She was thinking there was no chance it would take to anyone on first acquaintance, when the heisel hopped casually over onto Olivia’s outstretched hand.
“Look, it got on.”
“So it did...” Apparently not satisfied with simply perching on Olivia’s hand, the bird looked up at her and let out a crooning cry. Neither Claudia nor anyone else in her family had ever heard it make such a sound.
“First Comet, now this. Do you know some secret to winning the trust of animals?”
“Nope, I don’t know anything like that.” Laughing, Olivia raised her arm. The heisel spread its wings wide, then took to the air once more. For a while, Olivia and Claudia watched it wheel gracefully through the sky above them.
“Shall we get going?” Claudia asked eventually.
“Yeah, let’s.” They set off once more, following the winding path up the hill for another thirty minutes, until Claudia was met by a familiar sight. Surrounded by a faded white wooden fence, and topped with its distinctive green roof, was her own house. They opened the gate in the fence and went through. There, playing at the base of the trunk of a great tree that had watched over generations of Jungs, was a small figure.
“Oh!” Olivia cried out at once. “There’s a tiny Claudia over there!”
Claudia gave a strained smile. “That is Sasha, my younger sister.”
“You have a sister?”
“I do.”
Sasha had noticed them. A brilliant smile blossomed across her face as she came dashing over to them.
“Claudia!”
“Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Yes, I missed you!” Sasha said, leaping into Claudia’s arms. Claudia picked her up, then turned to introduce her properly to Olivia.
Sasha at once became guarded. “I’m Sasha Jung. It’s a p—a pleasure to meet you.”
Claudia sighed. Her sister’s shyness around strangers apparently had not improved.
“Sasha,” she said, “this is my sup—”
“Hello, I’m Olivia,” Olivia cut in with an open smile. “I’m a friend of Claudia’s.” Sasha’s arms, wrapped tight around Claudia’s neck, gradually loosened as she detached herself from her sister to stare intently at Olivia.
At last, she mumbled, “If you’re a friend of Claudia’s, will you play with me?”
“Of course. What game shall we play? Do you like tag? Or how about hide-and-seek?”
“Tag...no, hide-and-seek...no, I know! I want to play both!”
“Let’s do both, then.”
“Yeah!”
“General, you...you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
“Well, please accept my thanks on my sister’s behalf.” Claudia glanced down at Sasha, who was jumping up and down in delight, when she caught the voice of her mother, Elizabeth.
“Sasha, it’s lunchtime...oh, my!”
“Mother, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to visit.”
“Claudia...” Elizabeth said. “My dear, if you’re coming home, you ought to send a letter ahead.”
“I’m sorry. I was given this leave suddenly.”
“This is very sudden...” Elizabeth said, watching Claudia closely. Then, her gaze turned to Olivia.
“And this charming young lady...” she said. “One of your soldiers?”
“No, mother!” Claudia cried, frantically informing her of Olivia’s name and title.
Elizabeth chuckled. “Major general? Claudia, you’ve learned a joke since I saw you last. You’ve put your mother’s heart at ease.”
“I don’t know what your heart needed easing for, but I’m not joking.”
“Claudia, a joke falls flat if you take it too far,” Elizabeth said, her smile growing thin. Claudia sighed.
Of course it sounds ridiculous, claiming such a young girl is my superior officer—and a major general to boot. Claudia had predicted this would happen, so she now asked Olivia to take out the certificate of rank she’d had her bring, then held it out to show Elizabeth.
“Take a good look. It’s the same as Father’s.”
“You’re still keeping this up?” Elizabeth sighed, casting a cursory glance down at the certificate. But a moment later, her exasperation turned to shock, and she turned, her eyes boring into Olivia.
“I-I beg your pardon, my lady,” she said, immediately switching to a gracious smile. “Please, come inside. I apologize it’s so small.” And with that, she led Olivia into the house.
Trust my mother to pull such a rapid about-face. Now we can finally go inside.
When Claudia stepped into the parlor, her eyes met those of a figure seated on the sofa. Solid Jung, current head of the Jung family and numbered in the ranks of the kingdom’s Ten Swords, marked his place in his book and cast a glance over at Olivia before turning back to Claudia. “You’ve returned, have you?”
“I’m sorry it took me so long, Father.”
Solid rose slowly, then laid his hands on Claudia’s shoulders. “I see you’ve been through some great ordeals. You’ve grown so strong I hardly recognized you.”
“Thank you, Father.” There wasn’t a hint of a smile in Solid’s face, but as he patted her a few times on the shoulders, Claudia felt a rush of fondness toward him. His gaze next turned to Olivia, who stood beside her.
“Excuse me, Father, I should have introduced—”
Solid held up a hand and Claudia fell silent. He stared hard at Olivia.
