Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

User talk:Hiroin

2018-07-21T06:54:41Z

Renuac: Created page with "Hi, sorry it took so long to answer you. Thank you for the thanks and I hope you enjoyed it. As for the story, I have mixed feelings about it: I think it did a lot of things r..."

Hi, sorry it took so long to answer you. Thank you for the thanks and I hope you enjoyed it.
As for the story, I have mixed feelings about it: I think it did a lot of things really well (the politics, developing a cast of characters, expanding on the world-building), but I can see why it wouldn't be particularly popular. I also have a hard time liking Leo (which might be the point, of course). On the other hand, I thought that the actual story got better with each volume, and I was pretty disappointed that it stopped just as we got poisoning and assassinations, and more importantly, when we were getting back to Mephius. The first time I read the end of volume 4, I was sure it was setting things up for merging the two series... and then nothing for nearly two years. Overal, I enjoyed it, but I would never have translated it if hadn't been related to Rakuin no Monshou.
So how about you? [[User:renuac|renuac]]

User talk:Renuac

2018-07-21T06:54:18Z

Renuac: /* Better late than never! Thanks for completing Tales of Leo Attiel! */

== Rakuin no Monshou Registration Page ==

I might be reading the registration page incorrectly, but it looks like you have completed the translation for volume 4 and 5 of Rakuin no Monshou. If this is corect can you post them or send them to me? If it is not can you give us a status update?

Thanks

Hi,

You, er, didn't leave any name so I don't actually know who you are. But, yes, I have finished translating both those books. The reason I haven't posted them is because they follow on directly from volume 3 and I'm waiting for that to be posted so as not to spoil the ending.

renuac

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Volume 3 is completed now, any updates when you are posting vol 4+5?

Hi, please check my post in the forum but unfortunately, I won't be able to start uploading those vols right away. I'm really sorry about that and I'll do my best to get them up in September at the latest.

------------------------------------------------------
Thank You so much for that translations! I know that Rakuin no Monshou is a difficult novel and am very happy that people are still working on it. It was very exciting to find all of volume four released. :D I appreciate your hard work. -Sith Kazar

:Hi, thanks for your message and thanks for your patience in waiting for Rakuin. It's great to hear back from people and I'm glad you're enjoying vol.4. The next one should be up very soon too.

-- renuac

I don't know if you visit Novel Updates, but I made a review and post about Rakuin no Monshou today. Hopefully that will let other know about it. [http://forum.novelupdates.com/threads/a-love-letter-to-the-greatest-novel-and-why-now-is-the-time-to-start-it.16674/ Here is the post] - Sith Kazar

:Wow! Volume five also! I feel like I've won the lottery! - Sith Kazar

I noticed that there is a map in the illustrations. If you have the time, could you provide a translation of the names on the map? I'm not asking for you to photoshop the English in (I don't know how that works or anything). It would help to keep all the locations straight. Thanks. :) - Sith Kazar

:Thank you for linking me to your absolutely gorgeous post. Reading it made all those hours of translating completely worth it. And I really mean that. There is one more batch of chapters to come; I'll try to get them up by tomorrow.

:My Photoshop skills are inexistent but I've added the location names to the page. Hopefully someone with the know-how will be able to edit the map at some point. For volume 4, the only difference with the translated map of vol.3 is the addition of Dairan (ダイラン). I hope that helps :)
-- renuac

Thanks! The map helps a lot. There is another new city in the chapter four map. Its at the end of the river in Ende. I would guess that that is Zaim (where the three counties meet)? -Sith Kazar

:Oh right, sorry, I missed that. Yeah, that is Zaim. (See, you don't need me: you've got the map figured out fine :D )
-- renuac

You know I only figured it out from the what was already translated. :P Thanks for the four volume six chapters! You are awesome :)
By the way... If you feel like it, there is a smaller close up map of the Taulia region for chapter five. Not a big deal though. - Sith Kazar

:There is? Sorry, I'm not sure what you're talking about. Could you link me to it?
-- renuac

No problem. I think the lake is the same one pictured on the left hand side of the big map and is probably Lake Soma [[https://baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:Rakuin_no_Monshou_v05_008.jpg Here is the image]]. It looks like they use the same map in volume six also (no changes). I'm not trying to be demanding though. You have done a wonderful job with the chapters and I appreciate that you translated the big map, which is most likely more important for the overall story. - Sith Kazar

:Ah, I think maybe there is a misunderstanding here. The one who translated the big map years ago was [[User:Dohma|Dohma]], the original translator, and [[User:Cthaeh|Cthaeh]] created the English version. All I did map-wise was translate the names for the vol.5-6 maps. You'll find them as text if you scroll down past the image. I don't have the skills to actually edit the map myself but [[User:Cthaeh|Cthaeh]] might put up a translated version of the Tauran map at some point in the future :)
-- renuac

Ah, got it. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I'm not much with editing myself, but if you translate the names on that smaller map, I have the time to make an attempt at it. - Sith Kazar

---------------------------------------------------
===== Thank youǃ =====
I just have to give my thanks for your work on Rakuin no Monshou. This is one of my favorite read. I'll patiently waiting for the next update, whenever that be.
--[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 07:05, 7 September 2016 (UTC)

:And now V7 is outǃ Thanks againǃ! [[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 12:43, 24 July 2017 (CEST)
:You know I'm gonna show up ;). Thanks! Best Friday present! --[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 01:08, 26 August 2017 (CEST)
:V9! Orba and Vileena meet again!! After a lot of meeting and traveling this week, this is a perfect thing for the rest of my weekend!!! Thank you!!!! --[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 22:47, 23 September 2017 (CEST)
:I'm here again to show my appreciation, as usual. Looks like it's going to be a rainy weekend, so it's perfect reading weather! Looking forward to see how "that" event change Orba. --[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 22:36, 21 October 2017 (CEST)
:Just as I was planning to say, "Just one more time". Surely, the real reason for breaking the last volume into two updates was you want more thanks from me, right? XD 🤣. In any case, thank you as usual. We got a bit of snow where I am so it'll be a cozy reading weekend! [[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 18:34, 8 December 2017 (CET)
:I'm laaate! I'm on vacation plus I intended to wait for the full volume. But thank you for your work all the same. Just one more time! And Happy New Year. Hope you have a great time!

I'll add my thanks as well. You've done a very good job of making the story flow. [[User:Catahn|Catahn]] ([[User talk:Catahn|talk]]) 15:13, 8 September 2016 (UTC)

Thanks, was browsing novelupdates late night and saw that more chapters came out soon. Much appreciate the treat. I am glutton for great delicacies like these and you are a fine class chef. --[[User:Tasear|Tasear]]] 08:44, 9 September 2016 (UTC)

You can bet me and a lot of other people keep track of that registration page. Please don't kill us by releasing half a series at once :P --[[User:RS|RS]] (<span style="white-space: nowrap; position: relative;"><span style="position: absolute; font-size: .8em; top: -11px; left: 50%; white-space: nowrap; letter-spacing: normal; color: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;"><span style="position: relative; left: -50%;">[[User talk:RS|talk]]</span></span><span style="display: inline-block; color: inherit; letter-spacing: normal; font-size: 1.0em; font-weight: inherit;"><small>[https://discord.gg/bakatsuki discord]</small></span></span>) 20:01, 4 July 2017 (CEST)

Thanks Renuac for your wonderful translations. For the sake of consistency I wonder if you could also translate the afterword of volume 3? --[[User:rxls|rxls]]

:It's short, and it's nice to know that someone reads the afterwords, so... Done :) --[[User:renuac|renuac]]

Thanks Renuac for filling my request. :D --[[User:rxls|rxls]]

:You're very welcome --[[User:renuac|renuac]]

I'm back! Thanks and congrats on the first two volumes of Leo Attiel. Let's see how's this one! --[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 22:44, 9 May 2018 (CEST)

===== Illustrations =====
Hey there, thanks for translating Rakuin no Munshou. I've noticed that only the first two chapters of volume 4 come with illustrations while volume 5 doesn't have any inserted. Do you plan to add them later? -[[User:IcePhantom|IcePhantom]]

Hi,

Thank you for the thank you :) I'm working on getting the translated chapters edited at the moment which is why I haven't done anything about the images. If no one else adds them, I'll look into inserting them in the text once I'm done with uploading the chapters.

-- renuac

== Editing Rakuin no Monshou ==

Hey I hope you don't mind my edits of Vol.4 and Vol.5. With that said, since you're currently the active translator, could I add myself as an editor? I'll be only editing minor things and I'll ask for permission for things I deem major if I do edit them. Though I don't know if it even matters since I'm only editing mostly minor things. I noticed you added the rest of the illustrations of Vol.4 and I apologize for not finishing it as I got caught up in the story. Thank you for translating both volumes and I'll be reading Vol.5 very soon.

--[[User:Stratos|Stratos]] ([[User talk:Stratos|talk]]) 09:26, 9 September 2016 (UTC)

Hello renuac, I replied to your question on the topic of the Rakuin short story on my talk page. And by the way, thanks for working on the Rakuin translation in general. It's probably my favorite light novel, even if I don't have the time to give it the same level of attention I once did. --[[User:Cthaeh|Cthaeh]] ([[User talk:Cthaeh|talk]]) 01:55, 20 December 2016 (CET)

------------------------------
'''Ghost Hunt'''

Thanks for your message about Volume 6! It was a challenge, but I'm glad I took it on. I plan to update Volume 8 within the next month.
--[[User:Sera131|Sera131]] ([[User talk:Sera131|talk]])

== Volume 7 ==

Hi Renuac, I'm a huge fan of your work. Would you be doing vol 7? Detalz has not updated it since months ago while it looks like you've already completed 2 more volumes in the span of that time.

:Thank you! As for volume 7, Detalz is really busy right now but he is actively working on the first half of the book. We've been in touch and I'll be doing the volume from chapter 4 onwards. I'll start on that once I'm done with the chapter I'm translating now, so while I don't know yet when the translations will be released, rest assured that they are being worked on and that when we do post them, you should be getting quite a few without too much of a wait between releases. -- renuac

It's been a half a year, so I wonder if this has been dropped. --[[User:Tasear|Tasear]] ([[User talk:Tasear|talk]]) 07:07, 23 July 2017 (CEST)

Thank you for translating volume 7 of Rakuin no Monshou, I hope you can keep the good work. Can't wait for next volume --[[User:Hiroin|Hiroin]] ([[User talk:Hiroin|talk]]) 08:31, 31 July 2017 (CEST)

== Another Tomonori Sugihara Work ==
Hei, I wonder if you're interested in his another work? http://lndb.info/person/Tomonori_Sugihara--[[User:Hiroin|Hiroin]] ([[User talk:Hiroin|talk]]) 19:21, 6 August 2017 (CEST)

:Heya, first off, thanks for the thank you earlier. I'm certainly interested in "Leo Attiel Den", since it's set in the same universe as "Rakuin" and, although I haven't read the book yet, the reviews I've seen for his latest novel, "Hangyaku seyo!", are all positive. As to whether I'll actually translate either of them though... I really don't know. If I did, it probably wouldn't be anytime soon, unfortunately. --[[User:renuac|renuac]]

==Thank you==

Thanks for translations... latest chapters had me on edge. I hope he doesn't die, and the sweet couple meet again...but there' so much happening. So once again you have my sincere appreciation.

...>.> if there was F5 maybe I would get for chapter 5... thanks again... I am going to enjoy this.

Now that was a ending... too bad no epilogue... but that was fantastic so ty!

>.< This ending this month was dark and bit cruel yet at same time powerful enough to leave a bit out of breath. At last, thanks again for sharing this story.

The tense was real these chapters.... from worry to relief of his courage, but back again to end with worry. It's scary hiding a secret it seems.

Thanks for your absurd speed with Tales of Leo Attiel and all your previous work with Rakuin no Monshou as well .

== Congratulation on completing Rakuin no Monshou! ==

Thank you! But instead of a simple thank you, I figure this deserves a new section. Congratulation on finishing this project. I don't know how to explain how much I appreciate your effort. I'm eternally grateful. This series is actually one of the motivations I decided to take Japanese in college so that one day I can finish the story because at the time all hope seems to be lost, but you recused it magnificently. I'll probably come back to write some more once I finish reading, but for now I will repeat: Thank you, and congratulation! --[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 03:40, 21 January 2018 (CET)
:Finished it yesterday. I have to say it's not as epic of an ending I'd like it to be, and I'd love to see the datails when Orba finally tell Vileena his identity. Still, I'm satisfied. There are more I want to say but I should do that in the forum. Thank you once again for giving us the chance to finish this great story. If you don't mind, may I ask if you frequent any forum, or use Twitter, etc.? I would love to be able to get in touch from time to time, or simply see what you enjoy, so I can check it out!--[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 20:32, 28 January 2018 (CET)
::I know right? They should be another full "after story" volume, with a chapter each on Ineli, Hou Ran, Pashir & the former slaves, the night before wedding where Orba tell Vileena his history, and when their first kid is born! :P. I'm glad to hear that you're working on Leo Attiel. I have to admit that the sypnosis doesn't hook me like Rakuin did (I'm a sucker for Princess-and-her-knight type of story, though Rakuin is actually quite far from that), and with it being on hiatus, I don't have my expectation too high. But I'll be looking forward to it nonetheless. I'll find a way to BT's discord so maybe we can chat sometimes!--[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 18:42, 3 February 2018 (CET)

It's wierd...to say goodbye. Thanks we never meet, but our lives had this connection. I don't really know if it's okay to simply say thank you for such a experience, but thank you. -tasear
:(Sorry, I'm not sure where is best to answer you) Thank you for the thanks, it means a lot. I'm glad you enjoyed the series and the translation, but why goodbye? I hope I can provide other things that you'll enjoy reading in the future. -- [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Better late than never! Thanks for completing Tales of Leo Attiel! ==
I know it's late, but thank you for finished Leo Attiel (although it's technically on Hiatus or, even worse, discontinue). So what your though on the story so far? [[User:Hiroin|Hiroin]]

Hi, sorry it took so long to answer you. Thank you for the thanks and I hope you enjoyed it.
As for the story, I have mixed feelings about it: I think it did a lot of things really well (the politics, developing a cast of characters, expanding on the world-building), but I can see why it wouldn't be particularly popular. I also have a hard time liking Leo (which might be the point, of course). On the other hand, I thought that the actual story got better with each volume, and I was pretty disappointed that it stopped just as we got poisoning and assassinations, and more importantly, when we were getting back to Mephius. The first time I read the end of volume 4, I was sure it was setting things up for merging the two series... and then nothing for nearly two years. Overal, I enjoyed it, but I would never have translated it if hadn't been related to Rakuin no Monshou.
So how about you? [[User:renuac|renuac]]

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)

2018-06-28T21:49:36Z

Renuac: /* Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’) */

==Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)==

Nowadays, there were not many people who wanted to hear stories about Leo Attiel. That was easy enough to see. Even though ''he'' had been invited to this imperial court as a guest, and even though at first there had been a great crowd of people, there was currently only a tiny audience left in the great hall.

Exchanges of all sorts were now thriving between this country and the neighbouring kingdom of Garbera, and apparently, the many chivalric romances that flourished there had also gained popularity at the imperial court. The nobles all wanted to invite minstrels from Garbera to every banquet that they hosted. Night after night, the spellbound guests listened to tales of virtuous knights destroying evil for the sake of beautiful ladies.

For those who were entranced with dazzling legends of chivalry, Leo Attiel's story was far too plain and lacking in glamour, since there was no heart-thumping element of good being rewarded and evil punished, and neither were there enough passionate love scenes.

─ Yet amidst that:

“And what happened then? What did the sovereign-prince do? And how did Lord Leo act? No, wait... that would have been around about when civil war broke out in Dytiann again. So, anyway...”

The only one to show enthusiasm for Leo's story was the young emperor himself, and that fact made ''him'' feel like ''he'' had been saved. At the very least, ''he'' probably wouldn't be kicked out of the palace after being told: 'We've no use for birds who only sing boring songs.'

“Your Majesty, the hour is already late.” Sitting beside the emperor, the equally youthful empress – or better said, the almost girlishly young empress – seemed to be fighting back yawns as she spoke. “Let's continue tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Tomorrow we leave early for Apta. You know that.”

“Then it should be fine to invite our guest onboard the air carrier, right?” The empress' reply was short and decisive.

'Is that alright?' she asked with her eyes, and ''he'' bent at the knee in response.

“I am a wanderer with no urgent business. I am at His Majesty's disposal.”

“Right, then that's decided. Hurry and get ready. I'll hear the rest starting early tomorrow.”

Since it was settled, the emperor immediately got up and left. Half exasperated, half amused, the empress laughed.

“His Majesty really seems to have fallen in love with Leo Attiel. Dear guest, please take care: your throat will definitely be overused tomorrow. So when you lose your excellent voice, please be sure to put all the blame on His Majesty!”

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
|
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)

2018-06-28T21:46:12Z

Renuac: /* Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’) */

==Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)==

Nowadays, there were not many people who wanted to hear stories about Leo Attiel. That was easy enough to see. Even though ''he'' had been invited to this imperial court as a guest, and even though at first there had been a great crowd of people, there was currently only a tiny audience left in the great hall.

Exchanges of all sorts were now thriving between this country and the neighbouring kingdom of Garbera, and apparently, the many chivalric romances that flourished there had also gained popularity at the imperial court. The nobles all wanted to invite minstrels from Garbera to every banquet that they hosted. Night after night, the spellbound guests listened to tales of virtuous knights destroying evil for the sake of beautiful ladies.

For those who were entranced with dazzling legends of chivalry, Leo Attiel's story was far too plain and lacking in glamour, since there was no heart-thumping element of good being rewarded and evil punished, and neither were there enough passionate love scenes.

─ Yet amidst that:

“And what happened then? What did the sovereign-prince do? And how did Lord Leo act? No, wait... that would have been around about when civil war broke out in Dytiann again. So, anyway...”

The only one to show enthusiasm for Leo's story was the young emperor himself, and that fact made ''him'' feel like ''he'' had been saved. At the very least, ''he'' probably wouldn't be kicked out of the palace after being told: 'We've no use for birds who only sing boring songs.'

“Your Majesty, the hour is already late.” Sitting beside the emperor, the equally youthful empress – or better said, the almost girlishly young empress – seemed to be fighting back yawns as she spoke. “Let's continue tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Tomorrow we leave early for Apta. You know that.”

“Then it should be fine to invite our guest onboard the air carrier, right?” The empress' reply was short and decisive.

'Is that alright?' she asked with her eyes, and ''he'' bent at the knee in response.

“I am a wanderer with no urgent business. I am at His Majesty's disposal.”

“Right, then that's decided. Hurry and get ready. I'll hear the rest starting early tomorrow.”

Since that was settled, the emperor immediately got up and left. Half exasperated, half amused, the empress laughed.

“His Majesty really seems to have fallen in love with Leo Attiel. Dear guest, please take care: your throat will definitely be overused tomorrow. So when you lose your excellent voice, please be sure to put all the blame on His Majesty!”

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
|
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)

2018-06-28T21:45:48Z

Renuac: /* Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’) */

==Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)==

Nowadays, there were not many people who wanted to hear stories about Leo Attiel. That was easy enough to see. Even though 'he' had been invited to this imperial court as a guest, and even though at first there had been a great crowd of people, there was currently only a tiny audience left in the great hall.

Exchanges of all sorts were now thriving between this country and the neighbouring kingdom of Garbera, and apparently, the many chivalric romances that flourished there had also gained popularity at the imperial court. The nobles all wanted to invite minstrels from Garbera to every banquet that they hosted. Night after night, the spellbound guests listened to tales of virtuous knights destroying evil for the sake of beautiful ladies.

For those who were entranced with dazzling legends of chivalry, Leo Attiel's story was far too plain and lacking in glamour, since there was no heart-thumping element of good being rewarded and evil punished, and neither were there enough passionate love scenes.

─ Yet amidst that:

“And what happened then? What did the sovereign-prince do? And how did Lord Leo act? No, wait... that would have been around about when civil war broke out in Dytiann again. So, anyway...”

The only one to show enthusiasm for Leo's story was the young emperor himself, and that fact made ''him'' feel like ''he'' had been saved. At the very least, ''he'' probably wouldn't be kicked out of the palace after being told: 'We've no use for birds who only sing boring songs.'

“Your Majesty, the hour is already late.” Sitting beside the emperor, the equally youthful empress – or better said, the almost girlishly young empress – seemed to be fighting back yawns as she spoke. “Let's continue tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Tomorrow we leave early for Apta. You know that.”

“Then it should be fine to invite our guest onboard the air carrier, right?” The empress' reply was short and decisive.

'Is that alright?' she asked with her eyes, and ''he'' bent at the knee in response.

“I am a wanderer with no urgent business. I am at His Majesty's disposal.”

“Right, then that's decided. Hurry and get ready. I'll hear the rest starting early tomorrow.”

Since that was settled, the emperor immediately got up and left. Half exasperated, half amused, the empress laughed.

“His Majesty really seems to have fallen in love with Leo Attiel. Dear guest, please take care: your throat will definitely be overused tomorrow. So when you lose your excellent voice, please be sure to put all the blame on His Majesty!”

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
|
|-
|}
</noinclude>

User talk:RS

2018-06-28T18:43:41Z

Renuac:

==Imouto Sae Ireba ii:Volume1==

Hi! - Uh, Do you have something against a medical term? Because it looks so much like censorship and I am all against censorship if it wasnt censored in the original. Or was it in the original censored similiar? Is chinko even the medical term or is it a slang word in Japanese? --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] ([[User talk:Darklor|talk]]) 16:30, 20 May 2017 (CEST)

==Rakuin no Monshou==

You're so fast! And thanks :)
--[[User:renuac]] ([[User talk:renuac|talk]]) 4 July 2017
Thanks :) --[[User:renuac]] ([[User talk:renuac|talk]]) 22 October 2017

You hit that thanks button faster than the eye can see... Thanks :) --[[User:renuac]] ([[User talk:renuac|talk]]) 28 June 2018

== Mondaijij ==

Does what you said about Mondaiji also imply the last 2 of the Embryo series?

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4

2018-06-28T18:38:04Z

Renuac:

==Novel Illustrations==
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter1}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter2}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter3}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter4}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter5}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter6}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Epilogue}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)}}
<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume3|Volume 3]]
| Return to [[Tales_of_Leo_Attiel |Main Page]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4

2018-06-28T18:37:38Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Novel Illustrations== {{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations}} {{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter1}} {{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter2}} {{:Tales_of_Leo_Atti..."

==Novel Illustrations==
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter1}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter2}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter3}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter4}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter5}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Chapter6}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Epilogue}}
{{:Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume4_Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)}}
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>
<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Tales_of_Leo_Attiel:Volume3|Volume 3]]
| Return to [[Tales_of_Leo_Attiel |Main Page]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-06-28T18:36:29Z

Renuac: /* Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* June 28, 2018 - project complete
* June 28, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 4 - end
* June 17, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 2-3
* June 8, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 1
* June 1, 2018 - volume 3 complete
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue - chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface - chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">
=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Child of the Land]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Duellists]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Those who do, those who do not, and those who cannot take action]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Wolf and Fox]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Endings and Beginnings]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assassination Plot]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Venomous Serpent]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)|Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)]]
</div>
</div>
|}
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-06-28T18:35:39Z

Renuac: /* Updates */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* June 28, 2018 - project complete
* June 28, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 4 - end
* June 17, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 2-3
* June 8, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 1
* June 1, 2018 - volume 3 complete
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue - chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface - chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">
=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Child of the Land]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Duellists]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Those who do, those who do not, and those who cannot take action]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Wolf and Fox]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Endings and Beginnings]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assassination Plot]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Venomous Serpent]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)|Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)]]
</div>
</div>
|}
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-06-28T18:34:59Z

Renuac: /* Updates */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* June 28, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 4 - end - project complete
* June 17, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 2-3
* June 8, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 1
* June 1, 2018 - volume 3 complete
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue - chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface - chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">
=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Child of the Land]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Duellists]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Those who do, those who do not, and those who cannot take action]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Wolf and Fox]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Endings and Beginnings]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assassination Plot]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Venomous Serpent]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)|Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)]]
</div>
</div>
|}
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)

2018-06-28T18:29:36Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)== Nowadays, there were not many people who wanted to hear stories about Leo Attiel. That was easy enough to..."

==Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)==

Nowadays, there were not many people who wanted to hear stories about Leo Attiel. That was easy enough to tell. Even though 'he' had been invited to this imperial court as a guest, and even though at first there had been a great crowd of people, there was currently only a tiny audience left in the great hall.

Exchanges of all sorts were now thriving between this country and the neighbouring kingdom of Garbera, and apparently, the many chivalric romances that flourished there had also gained popularity at the imperial court. The nobles all wanted to invite minstrels from Garbera to every banquet that they hosted. Night after night, the spellbound guests listened to tales of virtuous knights destroying evil for the sake of beautiful ladies.

For those who were entranced with dazzling legends of chivalry, Leo Attiel's story was far too plain and lacking in glamour, since there was no heart-thumping element of good being rewarded and evil punished, and neither were there enough passionate love scenes.

─ Yet amidst that:

“And what happened then? What did the sovereign-prince do? And how did Lord Leo act? No, wait... that would have been around about when civil war broke out in Dytiann again. So, anyway...”

The only one to show enthusiasm for Leo's story was the young emperor himself, and that fact made ''him'' feel like ''he'' had been saved. At the very least, ''he'' probably wouldn't be kicked out of the palace after being told: 'We've no use for birds who only sing boring songs.'

“Your Majesty, the hour is already late.” Sitting beside the emperor, the equally youthful empress – or better said, the almost girlishly young empress – seemed to be fighting back yawns as she spoke. “Let's continue tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Tomorrow we leave early for Apta. You know that.”

“Then it should be fine to invite our guest onboard the air carrier, right?” The empress' reply was short and decisive.

'Is that alright?' she asked with her eyes, and ''he'' bent at the knee in response.

“I am a wanderer with no urgent business. I am at His Majesty's disposal.”

“Right, then that's decided. Hurry and get ready. I'll hear the rest starting early tomorrow.”

Since that was settled, the emperor immediately got up and left. Half exasperated, half amused, the empress laughed.

“His Majesty really seems to have fallen in love with Leo Attiel. Dear guest, please take care: your throat will definitely be overused tomorrow. So when you lose your excellent voice, please be sure to put all the blame on His Majesty!”

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
|
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Epilogue

2018-06-28T18:29:22Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Epilogue== Percy Leegan left Guinbar and made his way to Aconrey about ten days after receiving the news of Oswell Taholin's death. Within Archon, the towns and villages..."

==Epilogue==

Percy Leegan left Guinbar and made his way to Aconrey about ten days after receiving the news of Oswell Taholin's death.

Within Archon, the towns and villages alike had been thrown into confusion. There had only just been the affair with Darren Actica. Like most of the principality, the people of Archon had turned Darren into a target for mud-slinging:

''That high-and-mighty lord noble sure was stupid for turning his arrows against the princely House.''

''He must have been jealous of His Highness' fame after he rescued the temple.''

Fundamentally, though, it was simply someone else's problem, and they would never have dreamed that the lord governing them would ever have plotted to assassinate Leo. The search made in Aconrey's castle had apparently revealed some documents which indicated a connection between Oswell and the late Darren. The people of Archon were shocked and grieved. When their domain lord died, the younger people wondered with eager anticipation if something different from the usual might happen, while the older ones worried that their peaceful days might be shattered.

From what Percy had heard, reactions at court had also been varied. Usually, he would have have sent messengers to Tiwana, or asked the people from his parents' house to gather information, but right now, he didn't have the composure for that.

He was furious at the prince, who had readily left behind someone who didn't agree with his own opinion.

''I'm obviously not needed.''

Disgruntled and sulky, Percy made a point of remaining at Guinbar with the soldiers that had been left with him, as per the prince's orders.

''Since he went flying even though he knew it was a trap, he can just do whatever he likes.''

Since the prince had cut him off, he intended to cut the prince off too, yet no one knew better than Percy himself that he was just putting a brave front on things.

He spent his days in Guinbar and by the time he received the news that: “His Highness has collapsed,” the matter had already been settled over in Archon. When he heard about Oswell's death, he himself wasn't sure how he felt about it. His emotions were made up of surprise, admiration and anger.

''He's always so impatient. At this rate, one of these days, he'll be tripped up by a pebble by the roadside.''

Percy rode hurriedly to Aconrey. The first person he met there was Kuon. The sun had already set, but Percy was impatient.

“Where is His Highness?” he asked, intending to go see him at once. Kuon, however, shook his head.

“He's resting... er, no, I mean 'His Highness is partaking of his rest'. You can see him tomorrow.”

“Resting?”

Even though the sun had set, it was still early in the evening.

Percy could well imagine the uproar that Oswell's death had caused in Tiwana. Normally, Leo would have made the first move by immediately going to the capital and explaining the circumstances. Yet for now, he had apparently left that task to one of his subordinates and was resting at ease at Aconrey's castle.

“What is this? Does the prince think he can just slack off because he's taken down his political opponents for now?” Percy bore down on Kuon with rare vehemence.

Kuon seemed to find it a pain, but since he knew he wouldn't be able to divert Percy's attention, he resigned himself to telling him the full story about how they had driven Oswell to his death.

''What?'' The blood drained from Percy's face. His emotions could no longer be described as simply a mix of surprise, admiration and anger. In order to deceive Oswell and gather information, Second Prince Leo had chosen to drink poison. And now, perhaps because of the after-effects, his state of health meant that he had to spend over half his days in bed.

“He's slowly getting better. The doctor says he should be fine in a month. Oi... what's wrong?”

Seeing Percy start to sway, the boy-soldier quickly held out his hand. Roughly shaking away Kuon's hand, the young Atallese noble felt like he wanted to laugh.

''It's not going to make any difference, even if I worry about him'' – his expression was somewhere between laughter and tears.

''There's no telling where the prince's enemies are, or when they will brandish a weapon at him... I was always being so careful because of that – and then he goes and drinks poison of his own free will.''

''Just do whatever you want, Lord Leo. I don't care anymore. Don't listen to what anyone says, don't pay any attention to how much anyone worries about you, just go and do whatever you decide to do. Like hell I'd care about a reckless brat like you!''

Percy went alone to the bustling entertainment district and gulped down tasteless booze. A messenger from the castle came to fetch him almost at once however. Leo was already resting in bed, just as Kuon had said, but when he heard from him that Percy had arrived, he had apparently said he wanted to see him, and had sent a messenger. Said messenger was now glaring at Percy, his expression clearly saying that he had a hard time finding him.

Percy was aware that he was already drunk. He wondered for a moment if he should turn him down, just like he had back when Liana's father had tried to get closer to him. Still –

“He 'wants to see me'? Hah, he 'wants to see me'! Fine, I'll let him see me.” He left the tavern with drunken, tottering steps.

As he approached the castle, his anger swelled all over again. Even though he had told himself that there was no way he cared about someone like the prince, there was no way he could stop himself from venting his complaints.

''Do you think everything in the world is always going to go the way you want? What an idiot. You should just go and swallow as much poison and as many blades as you like.''

He muttered savagely to himself.

''Yeah, and I'll do the same. I won't care even if I'm sent away from the Guards or if an assassin comes after the prince. I'll just do whatever I like.''

He started snickering. The messenger was looking at him strangely as he brought him to the prince's appartements.

The door opened onto the antechamber, where Camus was.

“Bastard,” Percy was the first to speak. He was going to immediately seize the monk by his lapels, but Camus dodged his hands.

“What are you doing?”

“Shut up. You were here, so how did you let this happen?” Percy glowered murkily at him. “''This'' is a pious believer? I'd feed your piety to the dogs.”

“Percy, you're drunk, aren't you? I'm not letting you meet His Highness in this state. Come back tomorrow once you've sobered up and you're in your right mind.”

“You're the one who isn't in his right mind, you damn Bible basher. But I'll beat your personality back into shape.”

He punched him. Caught by surprise, Camus took a blow to his chest from Percy's fist.

“Bastard,” this time, it was Camus who growled at him. “I'll help you sober up right now. The treatment's going to be a bit drastic though.”

“Go right ahead and try.”

Just as the two of them were about to break into a fight –

“Camus,” they heard Leo's voice coming from the room.

Camus immediately returned to his senses.

“I apologise for the disturbance, Your Highness. I'll throw this drunkard out right away and...”

“No, it's fine. Show Percy through.”

“But...” Camus protested, yet he couldn't oppose Leo's order. The prince then went further:

“I want to talk privately. Camus, could you leave for a bit, please?” he said.

The monk reluctantly left, but he didn't forget to give Percy some whispered advice just before doing so.

“I'll be waiting right outside the room. If I hear anything, I'll come running. And when that happens, I won't let you off.”

''Humph'' – feeling like he wanted to spit at him, Percy stepped from the antechamber into Leo's room.

Leo Attiel was lying in bed. When Percy saw him, he was going to hurl everything he had to say at him, yet the words suddenly vanished before leaving his mouth. Instead, as he strode up towards the bed, Percy Leegan hit Leo. His fists could have punched holes in the stone wall, but there was only a sharp sound as he slapped Leo's cheek.

“You...” said Percy as he grabbed Leo by the shoulders and shook him. “You look completely pathetic.”

“You're right,” Leo smiled.

His eyes had sunken into their sockets, his cheeks were as hollow as they could get, and his skin had turned slightly blackish. Although they were hidden beneath the blanket, his arms and legs were definitely needle-thin. A few days after taking poison, Leo had claimed that he felt better and so had taken part in the meeting, but that had actually just been a pretense, and one that had put his health at further risk. In reality, he showed no sign of getting better and, with every passing day, the poison continued to undermine his vitality.

“There was no other choice.”

“Don't mess around. There were plenty of other ways. But you think only your way is right, and this is the result.”

“Oswell died.”

“''You're'' dying too.”

“I'll get better in no time.”

“Even though you look like you're having a hard time just talking?”

“Yeah.”

“You're an idiot.”

“Yeah.”

“Idiot.”
[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_279.png|thumb]]
“Percy...” Percy's hands were still grasping Leo's shoulders, and the prince placed an emaciated hand on top of one of the knight's. It trembled. But not because Leo's hand was shaking; Percy's trembling was being transmitted to it. “Are you crying?”

“I feel like crying. So why shouldn't I cry?”

Tears fell from Percy's eyes and dropped on Leo's chest, one-by-one.

''Oh, I see.''

Words spun endlessly around and around in Percy's mind.

''So much...''

''I love the prince so much.''

So very undependable and so very lonely; a razor-sharp mind allied with the ability to always take action; horrifyingly cold-blooded and worryingly kind-hearted; it was dangerous to take your eyes off of him for too long, and you never knew what he might do if you turned your attention away from him... that was the prince.

Percy Leegan realised something. The anger he experienced when he was left behind, and the feeling close to hatred that he felt when he was riding to Aconrey – both of them stemmed from his love for the prince.

In the past, he had wielded his spear for the prince and had been willing to become a shield for him if danger approached simply because he found him 'interesting'. Now it was no longer so simple. Part of it was his feeling that: ''the prince is the right person to carry Atall into the future''. He was also worried that: ''if the prince isn't here, huge beasts like Allion or Dytiann will devour Atall.''

It was a mix of all those emotions that made up Percy Leegan's love for Leo. Even if, in the future, they had another clash of opinions, that feeling would definitely not change.

“I'm sorry, Percy. I knew that you were right. I know that I was too impatient. I forced the situation to twist in a direction that would make me right and...” At that point, Leo starting coughing violently.

“Don't say anything more,” Percy gently pushed him back towards the pillows. “For now, please rest.”

“If I fall asleep like this... I'm worried that when I wake up, you won't be there.”

“That won't happen.”

“Really?”

“What is it you're afraid of?”

“Afraid... right, maybe I was afraid. Even though I believed that I had to go against you and do what I had to, I was really worried about what might happen with you, Percy. What if I'd used up all of your goodwill towards me, and you were already gone from Guinbar, or even from Atall? What if I'd lost the best of companions... of friends... of brothers.”

“There's nothing to worry about. Percy Leegan isn't going anywhere,” Percy smiled like a father laying a fretful baby to sleep. “I learned some charms a long time ago. I'll teach you one of them. If ever you don't know where I am and you don't know how to find me, raise your forefinger and chant the names of the three fairies Pique, Lotta and Torin. If you do that, the fairies will come to dwell in Your Highness' finger. After that, take a single strand of your own hair and wind it around your finger and tell them: 'Look for Percy Leegan. You can't leave until you've found him'. If you do that, the fairies will use their magic and I will immediately appear in front of Your Highness.”

“I'll remember it,” Leo smiled. “Pique, Lotta, Torin, right? Pique, Lotta, Torin...”

His voice faded as he repeated the fairies' names, and before long, he had fallen asleep. Percy pulled the blanket over the prince, then turned around and left.

...Later, historians would say that 'this' was the turning point for Leo and Percy. At that moment, instead of being moved by emotion towards Leo, Percy should have admonished the prince. If necessary, he should have been ready to turn his spear against Leo to make him heed his criticism. Among those who were close to the prince, Percy was the one who understood the most about Leo's thoughts, his power to take action, and the danger he represented, yet Percy let himself be swayed by emotion, and followed the wrong course of action... That is what they say.

But those are just the voices of historians with the benefit of hindsight. How could they ever reach the people who were living back in those times?

Leo and Percy were both young.

And the consequences that were created by the violent torrent of youth simply piled up one on top of the other.

Allow me to plainly lay out some of the things that happened later.

First of all, Leo Attiel sent a letter of thanks to Dytiann.

When Oswell had attempted to assassinate Leo, he had invited monks from Dytiann probably for no other reason than to trick Leo, yet these monks had defended the prince's life with unrivalled energy. Leo loudly and publicly proclaimed that fact, and deliberately spread it to Dytiann.

“It is shameful that Oswell planned to use the Cross Faith for the assassination, but God's guidance is truly awe-inspiring. Oswell intended to make use of them, but instead, he brought together those brave and innocent men as well as myself. We felt an immediate understanding for each other, saw through Oswell's plans, and smashed them together. I would very much like these braves to help with the missionary work here in the principality. Would it be possible to send their families over so that they can accomplish this holy mission without worry?”

In Dytiann, Leo's words made him famous even among the common people.

Who could tell how much loathing and disgust Baal must have felt?

It goes without saying that there was an implicit threat behind Leo's words: ''I know. I know very well who secretly sharpened the blade for Oswell.''

Two months after Oswell's death, Neville, Godwin and the others were able to meet their families again. Incidentally, those two joined the Personal Guards at around the same time.

Afterwards, Leo established religious bases in Archon's territory centred around Father Gemili, who also stayed in Atall, just like Neville and the others.

Florrie had also heard the rumour that Oswell had poisoned Leo and, perhaps because she was constantly by his side and nursing him, Leo's health recovered to a certain extent around then. The talk of his marriage with Florrie Anglatt finally crystallised into something concrete.

Seen from the outside, everything was going well for Leo, who had magnificently gotten rid of his political opponents and who was about to get married to a young lady from the Kingdom of Allion. However – and perhaps here again 'finally' is the correct word to use – the widening rift between him and Sovereign-Prince Magrid could no longer be ignored.

The shock of Darren and Oswell's successive deaths was huge. Of course, it was widely known that the two of them deserved it because of the crimes they had committed, but those circumstances had no influence on Magrid's fears.

''If I displease him, will that damn son of mine one day turn his blade against me?''

Even if Darren and Oswell had made mistakes, and even if Leo had flawlessly rendered justice, the crucial point was that delivering his 'justice' without consulting anyone made Leo dangerous.

And to make things worse –

“Branton has gotten cowardly recently.”

That evening, when Magrid visited Princess-Consort Kirsten in her bedchamber, he chose Leo's older brother as a topic of conversation.

“What do you mean?”

“He's already turned twenty. I figured it was about time to find hima good partner and give him a castle. On the same occasion, I was going to officially announce him as the next sovereign-prince, and grant him the title of heir to the throne.”

“Oh,” Kirsten cautiously interjected.

“And would you believe it, he refused. 'That responsibility is still too heavy for me', he said.”

“Oh my. Branton said that? Yet before Leo came back, he was so self-confident that you were even worried about it, Your Majesty.”

“Umm, Leo,” lying in bed, Magrid nodded somewhat bitterly, apparently unaware of the way his wife had almost shoehorned Leo's name into the conversation.

“He probably got influenced by Leo. Not surprising: everything that brat does has to be flashy. I've heard that the people are gossiping about it. Things like how Leo is the one they hope to see as the next sovereign-prince, and how compared to him, his older brother, Lord Branton, is only remarkable for being unreliable...”

“Leo... that child is dangerous.” Kirsten snuggled up to her husband as though she was seeking warmth. Her white skin still looked so youthful that it was almost impossible to believe that she was the mother of three children.

“If I'm being honest, Leo is dangerous and frightens me. But... it's a fact that Branton seems a little unreliable. Your Majesty... in that case, wouldn't Roy be the best choice for the next sovereign-prince? He is still very young, but he is growing up fine and healthy, and he will certainly be a successor who would follow in your footsteps, Your Majesty. Or rather, I, Kirsten, promise that even if it costs me my life, I will raise him to be worthy of you...”

As Kirsten spoke, her eyes were misty with tears, so perhaps she was already picturing her adored youngest son sitting on the throne.

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| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
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| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)|Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)]]
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Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Chapter6

2018-06-28T18:29:02Z

Renuac: Created page with "==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..."

==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.
[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_231.png|thumb]]

===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.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Chapter5

2018-06-28T18:28:39Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Chapter 5: Assassination Plot== ===Part 1=== It was about two months after Darren's death that Leo received a letter from Oswell Taholin. The sender was surprising, but t..."

==Chapter 5: Assassination Plot==

===Part 1===

It was about two months after Darren's death that Leo received a letter from Oswell Taholin. The sender was surprising, but then so were the contents: he claimed that he been petitioned by the people of his fief to “create a space for the Cross Faith in my castle town.”

Works had begun to convert a house there into a church, and had been completed about a month later, so now: “I would be overjoyed, Lord Leo, if you could visit me,” to both discuss how to administer the parish, and to attend the inauguration ceremony.

Oswell had already looked around here and there, and had hired several priests from Dytiann. Through them, he had invited a minister of some reputation to come from Dytiann and officiate at the ceremony.

It was true that when Conscon Temple had been in danger of being invaded by Allion, Oswell Taholin had single-handily persuaded the sovereign-prince to send help to them. In fact, once the matter became public knowledge, Conscon had sent a letter of thanks in which they named both Magrid and Oswell. He had always been a man who showed sympathy towards the Cross Faith.

Naturally, this was also good for Leo. If the Cross Faith acquired more strongholds throughout the country, then the prince's influence would grow in proportion to them. Besides, if it had to be said, then the church in Savan's territory served as a connection between the faithful in Atall with Conscon and Allion, which were geographically close. Oswell, on the other hand, seemed to want to give the job of running his parish to priests from Dytiann. Maintaining relations with the Cross Faith in both the east and the west was also very convenient for Leo.

─ Or rather, it was too convenient.

“It's a trap,” Percy asserted without a second's hesitation when Leo showed the letter to the main members of the Personal Guards.

Once, during the events involving Lance Mazpotter, Leo and the others had guessed that there might be a connection between Oswell and Darren, and now, Oswell had very rapidly made approaches to Leo after Darren's death. It was clearly suspicious.

“But, this Oswell person, wasn't he originally strengthening his relationship with the ruling house?” Sarah, who had forced her way in behind her brother, interrupted. “Then couldn't he be the kind of man who wants to cozy up to both sides? So even though he helped Darren, once Lord Leo defeated him, Oswell decided to make good with you, Your Highness. He's a guy who knows how to get on in life as a noble.”

“Women should keep out of this,” Camus yelled as usual.

''Why is that Camus can't hold back from saying things that he knows will lead to a fight?'' Percy sometimes wondered.

Actually, this was a fault that he shared with his little sister, Sarah, and neither of them were ever satisfied unless they said exactly what they thought. And since Sarah had opened her mouth wide as though to argue back, Percy hurriedly stopped the siblings' brawl by pretending to offer her an explanation, while covertly watching for the prince's reaction:

“Still, if we're talking about Oswell, then His Highness already suspected that he was secretly tied to Allion – or, more accurately, to Hayden.”

Leo merely gave a slight nod, leaving Percy feeling disappointed. There was no way that the prince wasn't suspicious about Oswell's overtures. Percy had thought that if he brought up Hayden, then Leo would offer and explanation that coincided with his own opinion.

''Exactly. Oswell is the noble who, all by himself, convinced the sovereign-prince to send out soldiers to Conscon. And looking back on Hayden's actions at the time, it seems like he expected that to happen. Oswell was probably secretly connected to Allion, and he swayed the sovereign-prince in the direction that Hayden wanted. If you want proof, just look at how that man, who was so fixated on the temple, seemed so completely indifferent when Allion marched on Conscon that second time'' – or something like that.

Yet Leo's response was muted. Or rather than muted, he was enveloped in the atmosphere of someone who had already made up their mind, and who found it difficult to explain that to others...

“You can't possibly...” Percy suddenly spoke up, “... Prince, you can't possibly be thinking of going to see Oswell?”

“There's no hiding anything from you, Percy,” leaning against the window frame, Leo smiled a little bashfully.

''Why... when you know it's a trap...?'' but before Percy could ask that question, Leo continued:

“There's a good chance that he is on the alert,” he said while gazing out of the window. “But it's also a good opportunity for us.”

''It's dangerous, but it's also a good opportunity'' – that was almost a tenet of faith with Leo. He had often repeated those words to himself and to his companions before then. One easy example was how he had deliberately set off to the holiday villa with only a few bodyguards to draw Darren's attack upon learning that he was plotting to kill him.

“If we do what the enemy wants us to, then that also means that the enemy's intentions will become very easy to read,” he explained once more.

By that point in time, Leo already saw Oswell as an 'enemy', and he had been waiting impatiently for a chance to get rid of him. And that 'chance' had come thanks to the 'enemy's' actions.

Percy understood what Leo was trying to say... but the situation was different from when he had invited Darren's attack in the resort area. In fact, it was the exact opposite: instead of lying in ambush for the enemy, they would be the ones walking up to a foe who was sure to have made every possible preparation.

“It's too dangerous,” Percy objected to the end. “Please reconsider. Instead of accepting Oswell's invitation, it would be far better to provoke that bastard into leaving his castle and killing him, just as you did with Darren.”

“What are you...” Percy's words were so extreme that Camus' eyes widened in surprise, but Percy stubbornly continued to shake his head.

It hadn't been long since the affair with Darren Actica. It was now widely known among the people that Darren had planned to murder Leo and to wrest away Savan's stone quarry, but there was no denying that Leo Attiel's impetuous actions made the nobles – sovereign-prince included – very nervous. The trap that Oswell had set was surely a dangerous one, but what would be far more dangerous was if Leo caused yet another disturbance.

Percy Leegan was absolutely right. Anyone with any common sense would have supported him. Even Leo himself agreed with him.

''There's probably something wrong with me''. Yet every time the had that thought, there was one scene that came back to him – that time at the banquet when he had told Hayden: “I'll show you how I'll turn the tables on you.” The threat that he himself had spoken back then was one that Leo had never ceased to hold to heart. And he constantly drove himself forward with the thought that: ''If there wasn't something wrong with me, then I wouldn't be able to turn this situation around.''

Now that Darren was dead, Leo viewed Oswell Taholin as the greatest threat. If he really had been tied to Darren Actica, who had tried to destroy Leo, then there was a strong possibility that he would continue to pose a threat in the future. And if you added to that a connection to Allion, then he would be a far more difficult opponent than Darren had been.

''If I stop now, it will all have been for nothing''. Up until then, and also from then onwards, Leo drove himself forward with those words.

''Defeating Hayden, killing Darren, and also, allowing all those soldiers to die in the battles surrounding those events... it would all have been absolutely for nothing. And my life as Leo, the second prince of Principality of Atall, will also lose its meaning. In the future, those unknown historians will laugh, saying that: “He was a man who didn't accomplish anything, and it would have been better for him to simply live out his entire life as a hostage in Allion.”''

Leo was firmly set in his decision.

But Percy's attitude was also unwavering.

“For now, please turn him down. We have too little information, and we don't have enough time to remedy that. I agree with you that Oswell is an 'enemy', but please be patient for just a little while longer. That would also be best for your future. If you are too hasty, you will only end up losing everything for nothing at all.”

Leo was perfectly aware that it was a valid argument, and one which he could not refute. By the time they had talked it over again several times, the day had already passed.

Yet Leo could not afford all that much time when it came to his trip to Oswell’s territory and, before long, he arrived at the point where he needed to start preparing for it, even though he not been able to counter Percy’s objections.

At that point, he was forced into making another decision. It was probably the first one like it since he had travelled through Allion, fleeing from being a hostage; Leo decided to take action without taking Percy’s opinion into consideration. To prevent Percy from suspecting anything, he deliberately gave him something to do that would take him far away, and, during that time, he hurriedly finished his various preparations for the trip.

''Once I get results, I’m sure Percy will understand'', thought Leo.

Yet if he had been the same as he usually was, he would have taken as much time and used as many words as he needed to to win over approval from all of his close guards: Percy, Camus and Kuon, and when he intended to make his move, he would have first worked at persuading them as though his life depended on it.

That was how it went when he decided to fight Hayden. Even though Camus had vehemently opposed his plan, Leo had litteraly put his life on the line to convince him to take part in it.

However, the circumstances then and now were different.

Back then, Leo had not had a single soldier that he was free to move, but now, his Personal Guards had swelled to over two thousand. Percy was just one person, and even if he did not agree with what Leo did, Leo now had enough 'power' to force a change in the situation. So, in other words, he no longer needed to waste time in trying to persuade the one person that was Percy, or to put his own life on the line.

When Percy Leegan returned to Guinbar, he received a shock. It had been five days already since Leo and his group – which included Camus and Kuon – had left the castle.

On top of that, he had left a verbal message to pass on as an order: “I'm leaving five hundred men with you, Percy. Have them continue their training while they guard the territory.” Which translated to: ''Stay where you are and don't move without permission.''

“The fuck is this!”

Percy vented his emotions which such rare and open violence that the nearby pageboys and new recruits trembled.

''Don't move. Don't move, you say? Camus and Kuon both moved, completely ignoring your orders. But you didn't criticize them for it. So what if I move too? His Lordship won't be getting angry as long as the result works out, right? Well, isn't that right, Prince? Isn't that right, Leo!''

He was incandescent with rage. It looked like they had gotten cocky just because things had worked out well that one time.

''Camus and Kuon are both pathetic. Is risking their lives the only things they can do? Simply blindly obeying isn't loyalty. They're just acting like idiots who've given up on using their own brains!''

At the same, since he had suddenly been left behind like this, he also wondered if the problem didn't lie with his attitude towards Leo.

''I opposed the prince's decision. I wasn't wrong, but... maybe I was too stubborn afterwards, when I refused to listen to his arguments.''

He couldn't say for sure that he hadn't been influenced by his jealousy towards Camus and Kuon, and by the feeling he had because of it that the way the prince was treating him was unfair. If he hadn't directly opposed Leo, but had simply offered him a different opinion, if he had listened to what Leo intended to do after accepting Oswell's invitation, then there should have been both a way and the time to figure something out. Maybe not much, but there should at least have been something.

“Shit!”

Standing near the warehouse were stones for the church construction were kept, Percy let out an angry howl that sounded like it could have come from a wolf.

===Part 2===

Oswell Taholin's territory, Archon, stretched from the eastern tip of the Iron Chain mountain range down towards the south. Since the mountains protected it from the northern cold, it was an area which remained comparatively mild even in the winter, whereas in this season, which was starting to carry a hint of summer warmth, the many forests that dotted the land helped soften the heat. As a result, it was an area where all of the noble families had built holiday villas.

“Live in Tiwana to spend money; do business in Dharam to make money; retire with money to the banks of the River Archon,” was a saying that was often repeated within the country.

Fields stretched out on either side of the highway, and farmers could be seen working vigorously, harvesting the wheat. A group was travelling along the road towards the castle town, looking at those figures without really seeing them.

A carriage rolled on at a leisurely pace, and those travelling on foot around it all wore leather cloaks over their long religious robes.

“Still, I've always thought so, but you really are stupid, Neville,” said a tall man. “Look at how you were when we met Bishop Baal in his hall. Saying too much for no reason just got you injured. At times like that, you should stifle your breathing, stifle your presence and keep a careful watch on the situation. Especially in one like that where we didn't know anything: we were surrounded by enemies, and we didn't know why those enemies had us brought to them or what they wanted from us.”

“I'm greatly obliged to you for your teachings, venerable elder,” retorted the young man walking next to him.

The tall man stuck out his lower lip and shrugged.

“''That's'' exactly it. You look so solemn, no matter what you're saying. There are times when I think I'm a complete fool for talking to you.”

“Everyone knows that you're uneducated, Godwin. And yet you think that you can call me an idiot and make fun of me? I really can't stand guys like you.”

“Want me to strangle you with your own hands until you repent, cretin?”

How long had it been since they had met Bishop Baal? Their appearances had completely changed from what they had looked like while in prison, when they had been emaciated, covered in grime, and with long, unkempt hair and beards.

Godwin had recovered the brawny body that had made him stand out even among the warriors of the Cruciform Army, and which had lead to his being feared as the 'colossal monk'. He now strode along the highway as his thick blond hair fluttered in the wind.

Neville, on the other hand, had cut his hair short, like a monk. When they had met with Baal, he had been as thin as a skeleton, which made the sharp glint of his eyes stand out almost eerily. Now, however, he had regained weight, his dress was neat and tidy, and his virile good looks caused quite a number of those they passed on the road to want to turn around and look at him again. His cheeks were still a bit sunken, but then again, that had always been how he looked, even before the prison. Compared to Godwin's more rounded face, he gave off an austere impression.

“Heh, that was a joke.”

“A joke? I've known you for a long time, but I still don't get your jokes.”

“I get what you're saying, Godwin, but I can't change myself at this point. From the moment I became aware of how I am but an empty void in God's gracious presence, changing how I am was no longer in my own hands.”

“That's a beautifully poetic exegesis, comrade.”

“What's an exegesis?”

“It means to explain to other people something that you saw, or heard, or felt. Pictures, songs or talking are all forms of exegesis for people.”

Neville's joke about Godwin being 'uneducated' had clearly rankled, and he was showing off the half-understood knowledge that his companions in the Cruciform Army had taught him.

The two of them were from the same village. Godwin, who had been known for his strength since he was very young, had been the first to enter the Cruciform Army. Then, a few years later and almost as though chasing after him, Neville had also donned the that unit's blue uniform.

Neville was a scrupulous young man, and even within the army corps, he was especially devoted to his duty. It was to the point that if he had received the order from above to 'die', he might have cut his throat on the spot. On top of that, he was extraordinarily skilled, and when it came to handling the halberd, there were very few people who could win against him in a one-on-one fight.

But by the time he entered the corps, the civil war was already in its final stages, and he was captured before his fame could spread throughout the lands of Dytiann. Even so, the two of them were able to escape thanks to the help of friends.

While they were being hidden in one place and another by acquaintances from all over, they attacked carts transporting goods to the Papal States, and continuously made things difficult for Mordin and the others who were trying to make changes to the states. Ultimately, however, those were no more that the struggles of pygmies in grass canoes against a huge, oncoming wave. After three years, the two of them were caught by the troops of the 'Current Church faction', and thrown into a filthy and cramped underground dungeon, where there were very few to provide them with anything they needed.

That had been less than a year ago.

Bantering in their own style, Neville and Godwin continued along the highways of the Principality of Atall, in the direction of Archon. Their destination was Aconrey, the town built at the foot of the castle belonging to Oswell Taholin, one of the vassal-lords. And there, the two of them would wield their blades to kill Leo Attiel. That was the mission that Bishop Baal had given them.

When they had first heard it, neither Neville nor Godwin could believe their ears.

“What do we have to do with the prince of a small country like Atall? And assassination? Go ask someone else,” said Neville.

“This isn't assassination,” Baal answered seriously. “You will be destroying an envoy of the Devil and exorcising the taint of evil from this world.”

“Aren't you the bastards who took the citadel? Then why aren't you giving such a glorious mission to one of those on your side? If you're really acting in accordance with the Lord's will, you should be able to chase away a devil with just your prayers, right?”

“I don't have time for endless debates,” Baal cut through Neville's words as though he found them truly childish. “Time is precious. What I want is a swift and prompt decision from those able to bring down that Hell's spawn.”

Baal stressed that one point, that 'time is precious', without offering any further information.

Neville and Godwin had family back in their native village. The only one Godwin had left was his elderly mother, but Neville had married in his late teens and had children. They had wanted to go and see them after they escaped, but since they knew there was a high chance that the 'Current Church faction' would be monitoring their relatives, they both of them decided to consider that they no longer had any family, and acted accordingly.

And yet...

“I will release your families if you successfully carry out this mission.” – There was no way that the young men's hearts would not be swayed when they heard those words.

It was probably because he could tell that their hearts were moved that Baal smiled then for the first time.

“There would normally need to be a certain amount of recognition and glory for heroism but, since that is what you wish, I will not make this matter public. I'm proud of you for not seeking fame, fighting only to bring about the time when God's glory will shine upon the whole world,” he even went as far as to say.

''Your names will not be made know'' – essentially, what that meant was: ''it will not be made public that you took part in an assassination.''

It was thanks to those words that Neville made his decision. He, who was from a farming village, had taken up weapons and taken lives only because he deeply believed that he needed to do so for the Pope, God's representative in this world. It was true that his family had been taken hostage, but he had devoted himself to the Pope, and if his name spread because of his being involved in assassination, then he would never again be able to face either his family or his now deceased master.

Neville informed Baal that he would accept the mission.

''But after that, I’ll drag you on a chariot of flames and plunge you into regret as deep as the depths of Hell that you ever let me hold a weapon again.''

Hatred blazed in his heart.

A few days before Neville and Godwin arrived in Aconrey, Oswell received a reply to his invitation from Lord Leo.

“I am truly delighted to learn of your desire to experience God's will through his teachings. I am also anxious the learned gentlemen from Dytiann, and I will certainly do myself the pleasure of coming to visit you in a few days.”

Oswell felt himself tremble when he read the contents. He looked over them again and again.

''Finally...''

Both his mind and body were so tense that it felt as tough he was being squeezes by some giant hand, and he felt like he was suffocating and unable to find any ease. As I mentioned previously, the path to success had crumbled in front of Oswell each and every time. Lord Leo had recently become a major roadblock to him.

He would kill Leo.

And of course, he wasn't the only to share this thought. With Hawking of Allion acting as a link between them, Oswell of Atall and Baal of Dytiann were working together to make their shared wish come true.

First of all, using the fact that Leo was trying to propagate the Cross Faith within the country, Oswell had invited him on the grounds that he was building a church. Even if the prince refused with the excuse that he was too busy, or something like that, simply establishing a parish within his fief meant that Oswell would have any number of opportunities to invite Leo again in the future. Which also meant that Oswell was prepared to be in it for the long haul. However, Leo had jumped at the bait with unexpected alacrity.

Leo would blithely wander over and enter the house that was being converted into a church. There, warriors chosen by Baal and disguised as priests would be waiting for him. The bishop had gone to great pains to gather a dozen skilled but unknown individuals. And at the head of that list were, needless to say, Neville and Godwin.

But Leo might be on his guard if there were nothing but nameless attendants.

And so, also on Baal's advice, a priest by the name of Gemili was travelling with them. He was the man who had been shaken about in the carriage.

He had belonged to the same monastery as Baal when the latter was still a monk. Even back in those days, Gemili had lived a life of laziness and dissipation so, even though he was a little older than Baal, his junior had despised him since their youth. Gemili, however, was the youngest son of a domain lord with enough authority to employ soldiers from the Papal States, so he had been ordained unusually quickly. Still, he was a terrible drunkard. Not even his father's influence could cancel out his repeated excesses, which was why he had worked as a parish priest in Baal's church for more than ten years now, without ever making it to bishop himself.

Baal had given Gemili this task with the air of giving small change to a child and sending them on an errand. He had, of course, hidden the truth, and had simply instructed him to: “Travel with Neville and the others to carry out missionary work in Atall.”

Setting his personality aside, Gemili was well-known. So even if there were somebody at Leo's side who was knowledgeable about Dytiann's internal affairs, they probably wouldn't expect anything strange to occur since a big name from the 'Current Church faction' had publicly announced his participation.

At the house, Leo's group would meet and talk with those from Dytiann, including Gemili, Neville and Godwin. Oswell would initially be present at the meeting, but would soon leave because of having some business to attend to.

“And that's when you kill Leo,” Baal had carefully gone over his instructions to Neville and the others.

He did not inform those who were to carry out the assassination that Oswell was working with him. He worried that if they knew that there were people within Atall who wished for the prince's death, they might start questioning why they were the ones who had been chosen to assassinate him.

Which was why Baal told Neville and the others that: “Your weapons and escape route will be prepared by one of my agents, who will be sent beforehand to infiltrate the Taholin House.”

That was not the only thing that Oswell and Baal kept hidden from the assassins.

Oswell would arrange to have soldiers lie concealed around the house; they were to wait until the meeting was in progress, then simultaneously shoot fire arrows at the building. Meanwhile, the exits would, of course, have been locked, and if anyone managed to force their way out, they would be met with armed and armoured soldiers.

Leo's group would fall prey to the flames or to the soldiers' swords and spears, but so would Neville and the others. Father Gemili would be no exception.

Oswell Taholin would just barely manage to escape the burning house – that would be the official story, at any rate – and would pretend to learn from his servants that: “Neville's group killed Lord Leo. The fire must have been caused during the struggle. When we heard the uproar, we came running over with soldiers and slew Gemili, the ringleader, as he was trying to flee our territory.”

They would also claim to have 'understood the situation' after inspecting the corpses:

“Neville's group came here as official envoys from Dytiann's Church, but they had falsified their real identities and actually belonged to the former Holy See, which fought against the current Church authorities. They were aiming to cause war between Dytiann and Atall by murdering Lord Leo.”

“Those damned rebels probably intended to take advantage of the turmoil that would cause to bring down Dytiann and allow the old Holy See to seize power again. Father Gemili shouldn't have had any connection to the Holy See, but it looks like he used in this plan either because he was being threatened by them, or because he had been tricked.”

That was the version of events that they publicly announce.

By throwing Neville, Godwin and the others to the flames, and blaming them for Leo's death, they were aiming to prove that neither Oswell nor Dytiann's regime were directly connected to the prince's murder. However, it was of course inevitable that Oswell would earn the fury of both Dytiann and Atall for having foolishly invited the assassins.

Which was why Oswell and Baal would pretend to hurriedly set up a meeting immediately after the events to: 'handle this mutual emergency as quickly as possible.'

“This was all done by the partisans of the former Holy See, and our two countries cannot be foolish enough to fall for the plot and turn our blades against one another,” they would say as they pretended to work out a solution. For example, perhaps they could propose that Mordin might come to Atall on a condolence call? In that way, Oswell would paint the image of himself as a man who was doing everything he could to calm the tension between the two lands, and so he would avoid taking too much damage to his reputation.

Put another way, Oswell was fully aware that this plan would lead to his reputation being tarnished for a while.

It was the same for Baal.

Even though the crime would be committed by a group which was hostile to Dytiann's current government, the Church's influence would inevitably suffer since they had been unable to prevent it from happening. It was only five years since the end of the civil war, and its embers had yet to be extinguished, so that this would be a hard blow for the country. But Baal was willing to risk it, so deep was his desire to see Leo dead.

===Part 3===

A large part of why Percy had tried to hold Leo back was because, while they knew that this was probably a trap, they had no time to investigate what the trap was. And Leo himself was also perfectly well aware of that.

Take, for example, the envoys from Dytiann who were coming to visit Oswell's territory. Were they real ones? If they were fake, then they must be assassins aiming for Leo's life. But if they were assassins, then it was hard to believe that they had simply disguised themselves as priests of the Cross Faith. If Leo's side had a bit more time,

then they could have sent messengers to Dytiann to check the identity of these visitors.

''Is Oswell tied to Dytiann?''

Although Leo had considered it, he also believed that Oswell's treacherous connection was with Allion instead. So was it possible that he could be closely linked to Dytiann at the same time?

And then, it was also possible that the priests from Dytiann were no more than bait to lure Leo in, and that something completely different would be used to try and murder him.

Poison, or an attack by soldiers posing as marauders... No, if it was a question of posing as something else, then the chamberlains that were to take care of him at the residence could be replaced by soldiers who might kill him while he slept...

In short, they had no idea what to expect.

Which was why Percy Leegan had been so desperate to get Leo to change his mind.

This was basically jumping naked into the den of a starving dragon.

Yet it was also a good opportunity to get rid of Oswell, who was in Leo's way. Leo was ready to walk towards the dragon which waited for him with its jaws wide open, and so he left Guinbar without telling Percy.

He went with a little less than a dozen attendants. These included Camus, the representative from Conscon Temple, two deacons who were acting as representatives of Guinbar Church, and several of his Personal Guards, Kuon and Aqua included.

Later, the different platoons within the Personal Guards, who had been given orders beforehand, would also depart. Leo had them remain on standby at Olt Rose Castle, which had once belonged to Darren, whom he had only just defeated.

It was the height of the Atallese summer when Leo Attiel arrived at Oswell Taholin's castle. Since most of Atall enjoyed a mild climate, there was no need for him to spend the entire trip jolted about in a carriage. He travelled along the same highway bordered by wheat fields that Neville, Godwin and the others taken about half a month earlier.

Camus' nerves were on edge as he wondered if the entire town might not become the stage for an assassination. Gripping his spear tight, he stayed close by Leo's side and didn't budge from there at all, anxiously peering around in all directions. But, of course, the only thing to greet Leo when he entered the town were the cheers from the crowd, and no arrow suddenly came flying, nor was he abruptly surrounded by soldiers armed to the teeth.

That evening, Leo was invited to a reception held in the castle's great hall. Apparently the idea was for the guests to have a chance to see each other before the real meeting.

“Has it finally come?” as usual, Camus' eyebrows were bristling up like flames.

“No,” Leo's tone of voice was the same as someone trying to soothe an unruly horse. “Quite a few of Aconrey's merchants and bigwigs have been invited to the banquet. I don't think there's any way that they'll try to kill me there. They'll start by giving us a warm reception so that we don't suspect anything.”

“But, my lord, look at Darren, who was willing to kill his own people to give himself an excuse to attack you. And after all, Oswell is a villain of the same stripe. We don't know what might happen.”

At that point, Kuon interrupted:

“Looks like the gates to the castle are going to be left open until the end of the banquet.”

Apparently, that was information gathered from his subordinates in the Personal Guards. He had now gotten to the stage where he could show that much forethought.

“We need to place the Guards inside and out in case we have to close the castle gates in a hurry.”

“Understood. Kuon will be in charge of that.”

“Aye.”

Seeing Kuon nod and give a slight bow, Aqua, who was travelling with Leo as a Personal Guard for the first time, looked at him strangely.

Speaking of Aqua, it hadn't been long since 'he' had gotten into a violent quarrel with Sarah, who had also come along as an assistant to her brother, in his capacity as the representative of Conscon Temple. She was the one who had promptly gone to get information from the monks from Dytiann, and who reported back to Leo about the priest named Gemili.

“There's no doubt that he really is a priest from the 'Current Church faction', but he isn't anyone who particularly stands out within the Dytiann Alliance. He is probably connected to the upper echelons of the faction. We hadn't heard of him either. But he's been working as a parish priest alongside Bishop Baal.”

''Baal?'' Leo shivered suddenly.

He had met Bishop Baal twice in the past. The first had been when he and Arthur, the commander of the Sergaia Holy Rose Division, had met with Leo to talk about volunteering reinforcements to Conscon Temple. Back then, Baal had stared persistently at Leo with eyes as cold as a snake's.

Sarah, his informant then and now, had claimed that “Arthur and Baal have a ''thing'' going on.”

The second time they met was after Arthur's death. On that occasion, Baal had avoided looking at Leo, as though holding himself back. But from time to time, when their gazes happened to meet by chance, Leo clearly caught sight of a fire in Baal's eyes. To put it more bluntly, rather than a fire, it was hatred. Rage and the urge to kill.

Those eyes clearly understood who it was who had lured Arthur Causebulk into a trap, then killed him.

Leo had no doubt at all that Bishop Baal bore a bitter grudge against him. And now, the priest who had come over apparently had some connection to him.

While attending the banquet, Leo could not rid himself of the fear that any and all of the people who greeted him were hiding a blade at their breast, and that at any moment, they might plunge it into his heart or slice through his neck with it. However, the party passed its height without any particularly noticeable occurrence. Just as he himself had said, Oswell surely wouldn't have him assassinated so publicly.

Leo's mental strain gradually melted away. He spoke with Father Gemili. His usual manner returned as he exchanged trifling jokes with Oswell. Whereas earlier, he hadn't touched the wine, he now stretched out an arm to take a goblet, and emptied its contents in one gulp. His throat had been parched, probably because of the stress, and the drink was so delicious that it seemed to flow throughout his entire body.

But... was it a case of negligence?

Camus' vigilant gaze was scanning the entire hall. Kuon was monitoring the escape routes from the castle. It was the same for the other Personal Guards.

For just one second, their attention shifted away from Leo himself.

The wine cup dropped from his hand and rolled on the carpet.

“Prince?”

Camus, who was beside him, was a fraction too slow in turning around. The colour drained from Leo's face as he staggered then, like a doll which had lost its support, he pitched forward, face first.

“Prince!”

“Your Highness!”

As shouts rose up all around, Leo started frothing at the mouth before loosing consciousness.

Early that morning, a thin layer of clouds hung over Aconrey, and a light rain started to fall on the houses and on the streets that people were hurrying along.

“Have you heard?”

Maybe it was because of the gloomy weather, but those who were talking together looked despondent, and spoke in hushed voices.

“They say His Highness, Lord Leo, has died.”

“I heard it too. Even though he was waving at us so cheerfully just the other day.”

“It seems he was poisoned at the welcoming banquet.”

“Shh! Be careful what you say.”

Even though it was still early, armed soldiers could be seen patrolling around the streets, which explained that sudden, sharp tone and the cautious check of their surroundings.

“It's not true that he died. I heard it from a guy who sells vegetables to the castle, so it's definitely reliable.”

“What? That bastard Boyle, acting all puffed up and talking like he knew everything... Right, he's going to give me back what I treated him to yesterday.”

A man who seemed to be well-informed stopped a man who looked like a carpenter as he started rolling up his sleeves.

“Hold your horses. The story wasn't completely unfounded. It looks like it's true that His Highness collapsed at the banquet...” He continued his story with a self-important air.

Three days after Lord Leo arrived at Aconrey Castle, rumours such as those started to circulate on every street corner in the castle town, in every tavern and in every house. Oswell had declared martial law, but it was impossible to stop people from talking.

And it was undeniably true that Leo Attiel had collapsed towards the end of the banquet, after downing a goblet of wine.
Given the timing, it was hardly surprising that people were saying that: “Prince Leo was poisoned.”

And when thinking about the circumstances, the natural progression was to suspect that the criminal was Oswell Taholin, the castle lord of Aconrey. Although, taken the other way around, it also meant that if Oswell were really plotting to assassinate the prince, he surely wouldn't have chosen such a conspicuous method.

And in actual fact, Oswell had been thrown into a panic when Leo collapsed. Had his own plan been pre-empted by someone who wasn't in on it? At first, he had turned to look at Gemili's group, then his gaze had travelled those from his own House, but every last person there seemed as alarmed as he was.

It was the same for the prince's attendants too. While everyone turned ashen, a large priest called Camus lifted Leo into his arms and shouted at Oswell to call for a doctor.

Leo had been taken to a room in the castle and Oswell had done what he could by sending for medical help.

Three days had passed since then.

Oswell had come up with three hypotheses.

The first one was fairly ridiculous: ''since Leo is only a boy, he made himself ill by gulping down too much alcohol when he isn't used to it.''

The second was that: ''maybe he somehow got wind of our plan and is only pretending to be ill. While he lies in bed he will be observing how we react.''

As far as Oswell was concerned, that was not a situation that invited optimism.

However, when the doctor he had sent for came out from seeing Leo, he announced that it was impossible for the prince to be pretending.

It was clear from the way his skin had passed beyond pale and had instead started to darken that there was a problem with his blood circulation. On the night he collapsed, he was seized more than once with convulsions. His fever couldn't be brought down at all, and there was no end to his diarrhoea and vomiting. The doctor had given him a decoction of herbs to drink, but Leo even threw that up, and as his body could not take in any nutrients, he grew increasingly weaker. In just three days time, Leo had wasted away into nothing more than skin and bones.

“What's the cause?”

Upon being asked that, the doctor had shaken his head and replied that he couldn't say for sure.

“It's most likely some kind of snake venom, but the prince's symptoms are unlike those caused by any snakes found around Atall. It might be a poison that was compounded for some specific purpose,” he added, and Oswell Taholin went speechless.

If it was poison, then it strengthened his suspicions, and fell in line with his third hypothesis. Namely –

“There's someone in this castle who wants to kill Lord Leo and frame me.” When thinking about who this 'someone' was, it could only be Dytiann or Allion.

The plan had originally been for Dytiann to share the blame for not having been able to prevent the crimes of the former Holy See, but it was conceivable that they had decided to pin sole responsibility on Oswell.

But... given that Neville and the others had, from the start, come to Aconrey with the intention of carrying an assassination, Dytiann's current government, which was pulling their strings from behind, must surely realise that if Oswell had them arrested and tortured, they would confess everything. Why would Dytiann go to all the trouble of sending assassins, only to create a more dangerous situation for themselves?

''Then... is it Allion?''

That didn't quite fit, either. If Oswell were an eyesore for Allion – which he himself would find hard to believe – then they had plenty of far simpler methods of dealing with him than setting up this convoluted scheme. For example, Hawking could just send one of Oswell's letters to the sovereign-prince with a warning that there was a traitor in the country. Hawking Ingram had exchanged personal dealings with both Oswell and Baal, so he fully grasped all the circumstances and was in a position to make use of them.

''But... what in the world for?''

If his goal was to have Leo murdered, then he just had to sit back without doing anything.

Did he want to cause Oswell's downfall in order to avoid having to keep his promise about appointing Oswell to a position in Allion?

''Argh! I don't know. What is this? What's going on?''

The situation left him drenched in cold sweat. Even if someone was hidden behind all this, if Leo died now, then Oswell would have to shoulder all of the blame and disgrace.

''Please, I'm begging you. Don't die.''

It was almost farcical how a man who had schemed to murder Leo was now the one person in the world who was the most anxious about Leo's wellbeing.

The group from Dytiann, which was originally supposed to be found guilty of Leo's assassination, seemed bewildered by how things had developed. And since they didn't know that Oswell and Baal were connected, he couldn't get in touch with them. For now, they seemed to have decided to stay at the castle 'until Lord Leo recovers.' But then, regardless of how the situation evolved, they probably wouldn't feel the same sense of urgency as Oswell, since Leo's death was exactly what they hoping for.

When the prince failed to regain consciousness after three days, those at his side requested that doctors be invited from the capital. Oswell Taholin had no reason to refuse.

And more importantly, the priest called Camus who made personally came to make the request was glaring at Oswell as he would at an enemy general across the battlefield. He definitely suspected the vassal-lord was the poisoner. If Oswell shook his head in refusal, those powerful hands might wrap around his neck and start strangling him.

A messenger on dispatched from Aconrey on a fleet-footed horse. Yet that night, Leo's health improved ever so slightly. After he managed to drink a little tea and eat a small amount of easily-digestible food, his fever dropped considerably.

After another two days, and without waiting for any team of doctors from Tiwana, he left his bed and went to see Oswell.

“It looks like I've caused you trouble.”

Although his face was still almost bloodless and his entire body was haggard, compared to how he had previously been almost unable to speak, his voice was a lot clearer.

“I'm sorry to have kept the visitors from Dytiann waiting. If possible, I'll meet with them tomorrow.”

Here again, Oswell Taholin had no reason to refuse.

''Thank goodness you survived'' – even though his feeling of relief was so overwhelming that he felt like hugging the prince, he was inwardly going over and over the plan for Leo's assassination on the very next day.

The dark clouds hanging over Aconrey had not yet cleared.

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| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
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</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Chapter4

2018-06-28T18:28:22Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Chapter 4: Endings and Beginnings== ===Part 1=== Most of Darren's army was made up of hired mercenaries. Although that single word, 'mercenaries', actually covered a wide..."

==Chapter 4: Endings and Beginnings==

===Part 1===

Most of Darren's army was made up of hired mercenaries. Although that single word, 'mercenaries', actually covered a wide range of situations and realities, in this particular case, there was a very simple connection: when the money ended, so did the relationship. They had lost the guarantee of being paid when their employer, Darren Actica, had fallen, and now all that remained was to save their own life by escaping.

Olt Rose, Darren's castle, was emptied in the blink of an eye. Savan sent out more soldiers who met up with Kuon's unit, and together, they occupied the castle while clearing up any groups of enemy soldiers who showed any signs of still wanting to resist. Soon after, and once he had paid and dismissed the youths hired from the villages, Leo Attiel entered Olt Rose with Camus and the other warrior monks.

‘’Is that Lord Leo?’’

The people of the castle town peered up at him with fear or curiosity as he rode by.

‘’What the... he still looks like a child.’’

‘’So he's the one who defeated Lord Darren?’’

There were, of course, no cheers or acclamations, but since the town around the castle had fortunately suffered no damage, it didn't look like its populace felt any deep-seated hatred for Leo. This was due to another of Leo's instructions to Kuon and Savan: he had strictly forbidden the victorious troops from breaking into town houses after the castle had fallen and seizing women and goods, or from randomly capturing and imprisoning anyone they didn't like the look of in the name of 'hunting for survivors'.

Having said that, Darren Actica had not been particularly cruel towards his people – the story behind the massacre on the day of the festival was not yet known – and so, naturally, there were many who lamented and grieved over his death. It was obvious, however, that they would prioritise their own safety and that of their family, so there was practically no one who openly displayed hostility towards the prince's soldiers.

Riding alongside Leo as they paraded down the streets, Camus felt shivers across the back of his neck for some reason. He had experienced victory before. When he was in Conscon, there had been more times than he could count when he had used the spearmanship of which he was so proud to send bands of ruffians packing. There had also been a number of victories since he started following Leo, including the one against Hayden. But the 'taste' of this victory felt different from the others. Or perhaps the fights that he had experienced up until then had finally allowed him to distinguish the 'taste' of battles?

Camus could not conceal his excitement.

‘’At one point, I really thought it might be impossible. We were forced to withdraw from Olt Rose, this very same castle, and seemed about to be invaded by Darren in return. The prince was in despair as well. I thought the fires of war were going to snatch away things I care for again.’’

‘’But so what? We won. We drove back that pack of fiends, and the prince can stride into this city that was once a den of evil with a crucifix hanging across his chest.’’

Thinking about it, Leo's actions had set everything in motion. For better or for worse, there was nothing half-hearted about how he carried out what he did – nor did he simply think about taking action, like others would – and he forced the situation to move even if it meant kicking through it and crushing it.

This was the decisive difference between Leo and Bishop Rogress, or Abbott Tom who had taken care of Camus in the past. Although he loved and revered both of them even now, there was no denying that they fell short of his idea of what holy men should be. In that sense, Lord Leo could be seen as a certain embodiment of Camus' ideals. There was no end to his exaltation.

‘’Even now, His Highness isn't particularly ardent about the faith, but if I stay by his side and take the time to reach his mind and instil the teachings in him, then, one day, His Highness Lord Leo will certainly become an envoy in God's employ in this world.’’

‘’Oh,’’ that's ‘’it.’’

That ‘’was God's plan in bringing the prince and me together. Both Abbot Tom and Bishop Rogress disappeared as I travelled along my path. But it's different this time. This time, it's the other way around, and I'm part of the path that Lord Leo is travelling. If an arrow comes flying from his destination, I will serve as his shield; if the road becomes impassable, my body will serve as a bridge; if there is no more light along the way, I will take the lead and venture into the darkness... that is the mission that I've received from God.’’

Camus was so delighted with the idea that he rode along in ecstasy. This must be what it meant to feel as if his body and mind were dissolving. This was what laymen experienced when they slept with a fine woman or drank good wine. Those were states that had little connection to Camus but, for the first time, he felt like he could understand them. The pleasure was causing him to lose his balance, and, at one point, he was in danger of falling off his horse.

While the young warrior monk's heart was writhing with new sensations, Leo Attiel's expression never brightened. When he had been travelling along the way to Olt Rose, he had met with a messenger sent by Savan. According to his report, there had been a little under three hundred casualties at the marketplace. Fortunately, the church was unharmed, and Savan's messenger had also been carrying a letter from Bishop Bosc. It explained that most of those who had perished had – except for those whose families had claimed their remains – been buried in the churchyard. The messenger had also said that Savan was doing everything he could to compensate the merchants for their lost goods.

Still, damage had been kept to a minimum thanks to Kuon having rushed over. That was a profound relief for Leo, and he felt like he wanted to hug Kuon the moment he met him again. His feeling of happiness that there had not been more lives lost in vain was even greater than his sense of accomplishment at having won.

However... taken another way, it meant that if Kuon had arrived late, or if he had been unable to bring back reinforcements in the first place, then the marketplace would have fallen, and there would now be far more than three hundred corpses, none of them with graves.

Kuon had not brought reinforcements on Leo's orders. Which was why Leo, seeing no hope for victory, had for a time been ready to accept defeat. It was that realisation that clouded the prince's expression. The drawbridge at Olt Rose had just been lowered, and Leo raised his downcast eyes, gazing up at the castle as though he was glaring at it.

Leo's actions after entering Olt Rose Castle would be known for generations to come.

First, as soon as he got in and saw Kuon again, his expression brightened all at once, he rushed over to him and, just as he pictured earlier, hugged him with all his strength.

Kuon was utterly at a loss and Camus, who was watching from nearby, smiled at the sight. Still, his expression changed when he heard the story of how Kuon had brought his reinforcements. He had not previously known that Sarah had also gone along. Before he could berate his sister, however, Leo clasped her hand with words of gratitude.

Leo also gave endless thanks and compliments to the warriors from the mountain tribe when Kuon introduced him to them.

“He's completely different from what I'd imagined,” the mountain warrior Aqua whispered to Kuon, looking as confused as he did, after receiving the prince's effusive greetings and thanks.

The mountain warriors were worried about leaving their home for too long, and Leo looked disappointed upon hearing that more than half of them had already left.

“I wanted to meet all of them. Those of you who are left, please do me the honour of staying in Atall for as long as you can. I will make sure that we can talk at length,” he said, and it was a long time before he let go of the warriors' hands.

Afterwards, when Leo caught a glimpse of what was at Kuon's waist, he raised an eyebrow.

“Oh my, that girl is quite a philanderer.”

“Huh?”

“It looks like you're the hero now.”

A small ragdoll was dangling from Kuon's belt. Her craftsmanship must have improved in that short amount of time, as it seemed better made than the one Leo had received.

In the end, Kuon remained bewildered from start to finish.

The problem was what came afterwards.

The actions Leo took next seemed like those of a different person from the one who was happily frisking about upon seeing his friends again.

Most of Darren's servants and retainers were confined within the castle. Among them was Darren's second son, Dingo Actica, who had been given a private room on the instructions of the castle doctor, on the grounds that he was seriously wounded. Yet Leo had Dingo dragged from that room.

This was a person whose bones were broken in more than ten different places, who had fragments of cannon shell embedded in his flesh, and whose skin was covered in burns.

“This is outrageously cruel!” cried the doctor and those who served the House of Actica as they tried to stop what was happening, but Leo had his soldiers mercilessly push them back. Those who still tried to resist found themselves threatened by gleaming swords.

Leo used Dingo Actica as a hostage.

If Dingo lived long enough, he could ensure the direct continuation of the Actica House. The long-serving steward of the Actica family, as well as a village head with a family connection to Darren and the younger brother of Darren's father – a man who lived in retirement in the castle town – all begged Leo for mercy in tears. He took all three of them with him to Tiwana.

By that time, the sovereign-prince had already heard Stark's report. In the face of a direct appeal from Stark, even the sovereign-prince had roused himself, and was in the middle of assembling troops to block Darren's invasion when a courier riding a swift horse arrived from Leo.

‘’What is it now?’’ The sovereign-prince looked sour. When it came to Leo, his second son, he felt as though he was caught in a whirlwind of bad premonitions whenever he simply heard his name.

And sure enough, the information that had been brought to the court sent everyone simultaneously into an uproar. Not only had he prevented Darren's invasion of Guinbar, but during the fight, Darren himself had been struck down by an 'unfortunate' stray arrow and had passed away.

‘’That boy, he's done it again...’’ thought Magrid, but since he had heard from Stark – on whom Magrid's own father had once relied – about Darren's deceit, he could not condemn Leo outright.

Moreover, Leo brought the three men who were so deeply connected to the Actica family to explain the circumstances in the presence of their ruler. Since Dingo was being held hostage, they had no choice but to do what Leo wanted, and tell everything. They revealed the truth about the plot Darren had put in motion because he coveted Savan's stone quarry, about the attempted assassination against Lord Leo when he visited the resort area, and also about how Darren had killed his own people to give himself justification to attack Savan's territory.

There was also the added support of Stark and Bernard's testimonies, so neither the sovereign-prince nor those of the vassal-lords who disliked Leo's way of doing things had any choice but to acknowledge both Darren's villainy, and that Leo had acted with justice on his side to protect Guinbar.

Actually, it would be more accurate to say that Stark strongly encouraged Magrid to publicly acknowledge Leo's accomplishments.

Back when Magrid had asked him to take Leo under his wing, Stark had taken the detached attitude of one who had all but retired from the world. Yet now, he threw himself into protecting and covering the prince: exhausting his words in persuading the sovereign-prince; and sending out letters to the vassal-lords and retainers who were still in shock over Darren's defeat. Stark himself found it almost amusing: ‘’To think I still had this much energy and stamina left inside me...’’

The sovereign-prince dispatched people to reorganise things in the Dharam region and, after investigation, he decided to entrust the territory to a long-serving family of retainers who were currently without lands of their own.

Darren had planned to turn his blades against the princely house, and it was Leo who had successfully suppressed him, so that territory should have been given to him had he asked for it, but Leo himself had never had any intention of requesting that as a reward. After all, there was still something he needed to do before becoming the lord of his own castle.

===Part 2===

The large living room on the ground floor of Guinbar Castle was one that Leo and the others were very familiar with. They were in the middle of dinner. Leo and Florrie were arranged at the head of the table, while Camus, Sarah and Percy sat facing each other along it.

It was over a month since the fall of Olt Rose.

Sarah was the only one providing a topic at that dinner table, which came from the fact that Percy was curious about how they had brought the warriors from the mountains.

Leo and Camus had both more or less heard about it from Kuon, but he since he was a poor speaker, about all they had gotten out of him was: “I went back to my native village, and got help after beating the strongest guy there in a duel.”

After the battle, Lord Leo had no time to rest. He had taken part in the induction ceremony for the new lord of Olt Rose, then he had gone to Tiwana for the triennial ceremony commemorating the founding of the country, after which, since Bernard had finally caved in to his wife and was going to build a church of the Cross Faith in his territory, he had sat in on the discussions for that with Bishop Bosc. When it looked like he could finally take it easy for a few days, he summoned his group of familiar faces to Guinbar.

Incidentally, Kuon was running late, which was why Sarah was holding the floor unchallenged at the dinner party.

Kuon's way of telling it was far too simple, but Sarah tended to exaggerate too much so as to make the story more dramatic. As the light from the chandelier made the tableware and wine cups glow golden, she spun her tale to the accompaniment of sweeping gestures, sometimes leaning so far back that it looked like she was about to stand up on her chair. She told of how she had laid a trap for the savage nomads, using nothing but her own wits, or of how she had fought against the ferocious, man-eating armoured spider which had come scuttling out of a corner of the wilderness.

In response, her older brother interposed comments each and every time along the lines of: “How reckless,” or “You could have died ten, no, a hundred times over while crossing the Kesmai Plains. I hope you haven't neglected to offer prayers of thanks.”

Percy could understand his feelings. “Reckless” didn't even begin to express how stupid it had been for two people alone – and a boy and girl of marriageable age, at that – to attempt to cross the Kesmai Plains. Even though his little sister was safe and right in front of him, hearing about the two's adventure was probably enough to make Camus' blood run cold.

Finally, the story reached the point where Kuon was about to fight a duel with Raga, the strongest warrior of the tribe. At some point, Lord Leo, Florrie, Percy, and even Camus, who had been constantly grumbling complaints up until then, had all stopped eating, and the hands holding their cutlery had gone still.

Naturally, Sarah noticed the change in her audience. To draw out the moment, she held out her empty drinking cup to the serving girl, and asked for water, which she then deliberately took her time sipping it.

“A-And then?” asked Florrie, unable to endure the 'pause' that Sarah had set up. “What happened then? Sir Kuon is surely very strong, but his opponent was the strongest in the entire tribe, wasn't he?”

“Very much so,” Sarah drew her brows together as she nodded, “he was a man as big as a bear, with biceps so huge that several men could swing from them and his arms wouldn't even budge. They say that when he laughs, children are blown away from the wind pressure.”

“Oh my,” Florrie put a hand in front of her open mouth.

“And that's not all, my lady. In that tribe, the custom is that those who fight Raga have to have their dominant hand immobilised. Just before the duel, an elderly priestess, whose back was so bent it looked like her chin might touch the ground, stepped forward. That old woman touched Kuon's right arm with one bony finger, and chanted some strange spell then, from her fingertip, something like a black snake appeared, and coiled itself twice, then three times around his arm. Before I knew it, his right arm was fixed against his body without being able to move even the tiniest bit, and Kuon had to pick up his sword with his left hand, which he isn't used to using.”

“Oh my,” Florrie exclaimed again. Her knife and fork were lying discarded on the dining table.

The audience was starting to become restless. Sarah drained the rest of her water, then set the cup down upon the table with a firm clink. Just as she drawing her breath to begin describing the entire fight scene in single go...

“Sorry for being late, Prince.”

Kuon turned up from the other side of the door.

“Oh,” Leo personally stood up in welcome. Kuon wasn't alone, and had four other people following behind him.

Kuon pointed them out to Leo.

“I've brought three representatives from the tribe, and one representative from those who serve Hāles Halia,” he introduced them.

Leo shook hands with each of them in turn.

“Oh, so these are...” Camus and Percy also got up and stepped forward to meet them.

''What the...'' Sarah, meanwhile, was annoyed. She had taken great pains to 'prepare' and then, just when that was about to show its effect, the person being talked about had come and thrown cold water all over it. Now she would have to set the mood all over again... while she was thinking that, her eyes came to rest on one of the people who had appeared from behind Kuon.

Feeling like she recognised them, she peered hard at the person, and saw that it was one of the warriors from the mountain tribe: Aqua.

The reason why Sarah had been slow to realise this was because Aqua's appearance was completely different from what it had been in the mountains. Instead of a simple tunic that was no more than a piece of cloth with a hole for the head, 'she' now wore a sleeveless leather vest and trousers fastened with a belt, and looked like an Atallese lady with a taste for riding horses in the park around her mansion. Aqua's build had always been slim and, combined with 'her' slender, dignified face, 'she' projected an atmosphere like that of a 'cross-dressing beauty' from a story. 'She' looked unexpectedly sophisticated, and also unexpectedly seductive.

Sarah had heard that the mountain tribesmen had already left, but it looked like Aqua had yet to return to the 'great mountains'. They had received a promise that “If you help us, then we will send you whatever rewards your hearts desire.” Sarah had not had any authority to speak on Leo's behalf, but he, of course, did not go back on that promise, and he had given them cartloads of gifts. Rather than jewellery made of gold and silver, the tribesmen had shown far more interest in Atallese-made weapons and horse-riding equipment. Sarah had also learned that on top of that, Leo had provided a horse to each and every one of them.

Had they come to see the prince today to give him their farewells? Not that it mattered. Sarah was frantically trying to rebuild the story in her head. Where should she start from when she began telling it again? Since Kuon was actually here now, he might interrupt her and take the tale in weird directions, so...

While puzzling over that conundrum, Sarah didn't hear what Leo and the others were talking about, so she was startled when she realised that the conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

First of all, it seemed that twenty of the reinforcements sent by the tribal leader Hāles Halia as a proof of his gratitude and friendship towards Kuon would not be returning to their nomadic life. Instead, they, Zan Chiredeau included, would be joining the Personal Guards. Naturally, this was Hāles' wish, and not something they had just decided on their own. He probably judged that it would be no bad thing to establish a friendly relationship with Atall's Lord Leo. It would make it easier to trade with the urban areas.

Meanwhile, and although from Atall's point of view they only did a negligible amount of trade with the nomads, there was nothing to lose in being able to pursue it without having to worry about the threat of mountain bandits or of other savage tribes. Moreover, it could be useful in a variety of situations to have an allied power beyond the national border.

And then, there was Aqua. That tribal warrior would also be joining the Personal Guards instead of returning to the great mountains.

“I received some words from Mistress Mist, the head priestess ,when we sent a messenger to Chief Suo.”

So the tribe had given its permission.

“Really, it's reassuring to know that we'll have another warrior from the same tribe as Kuon,” Leo said, accepting the news in a friendly, easygoing manner.

The one who objected was Sarah. Without a second thought, she threw away the continuance of her tale which she had taken such pains to mentally construct.

“H-Hold on a second. No, I mean, please wait a moment, Your Highness.” She raced over to where everyone was, pulling up the hem of her novice robes to do so. “Aqua is going to join the Personal Guards? Is that really alright, Prince?”

“Is there a problem?” Leo looked surprised. “Aqua showed tremendous skill in archery during Darren's invasion. Savan's soldiers were all full of praise. There's no better horseback archer in Guinbar, or even in the whole country.”

“But... but... Aqua is a 'woman'!” Sarah exclaimed loudly, facing someone who was slow to understand. “She's good with a bow? Then my marksmanship with a gun is just as good. And I fought on the battlefield just like Aqua.”

“What? I haven't heard about that! Honestly, do you think that you can just do anything when your brother can't see you? What is this? One who serves God should be ready to called to Him at any moment, but...”

“Shut up, Big Brother!”

Camus unintentionally fell silent at Sarah's sharp response. His little sister's show of force was unusually impressive. Sarah turned to towards the prince, her eyes and voice still filled with that same forcefulness.

“Then please add me to the Personal Guards, Prince. Up until now, being a woman, I would have refused to join, but if Aqua is joining, then it's a different story. I'm sure you know of my skill with a gun. I have full confidence that I can accomplish just as much in battle as Aqua can... no, that I can do better than any man!”

“Wait,” this time, it was Aqua who had intervened in a calm voice. 'He' drew the fire of Sarah's anger in place of the prince, who had been recoiling from it.

“What is it?”

“You've been repeating 'woman', 'woman' for a while now, but I'm not a woman. Certainly, I was one when I was born, but it's different now. By Tei Tahra's guidance, I've been reborn as a 'man'. But up until now, I didn't have any opportunity to fight, so I didn't know if my soul was worthy of being that of a warrior who will be called to Divine Tei Tahra's side after death. But here, I can fight. That's why I intend to polish my skill until I've become a fully-fledged warrior, before returning to the mountains where the spirits await. If the prince refuses on the grounds that he doesn't need a man like me, then that's one thing; but we don't need a woman like you interfering.”

“What are you talking about? It doesn't matter what you think, or what kind of oath you've taken. What matters is how the people around you see you.”

“”The people around me are...”

“Yes, yes – the men from the same tribe as you will accept the words of your god or of the priestesses, but we aren't in the 'great mountains' here. Tei Tahra's voice has absolutely nothing to do with the men of Atall. They'll just see you according to how you look.”

“What do you mean, 'see me according to how I look',” Aqua started to look angry, and took a step in Sarah's direction. “Are you saying that I'm not worthy of being a 'man' who serves Lord Leo? In that case, bring me a 'man' who is. I'll pierce every last inch of him with arrows and...”

“And what I'm saying is that proving your strength doesn't mean a thing. It's the same as for me. By 'see you accroding to how you look', I mean that as far as men are concerned, neither you nor I are either comrades or soldiers. If you're even a bit pretty and sexy, they get all confused and horny just from looking at you, they feel like they're on to something really good if you just call out to them, and they think that they just need to give a little bit more of a push for you to fall into bed with them, because they'll think that you're 'just a woman'. That's what I mean. And at that point, you're skill won't have anything to do with anything. Because simply because you've got breasts and no 'arrow' between your legs, men will always look at you with ravenous eyes.”

“S-Sarah, that's enough. Even if it's still only probationary, you're a servant of God and you can't...” Camus, whose face had been getting redder and redder, finally cut in to stop her. However –

“In that case, I'll just cut off these breasts. I don't need milk to give to a child, anyway. You should do the same.”

Aqua was becoming overwrought and looked like 'he' was about to take out the hatchet hanging at 'his' waist.

“Right, I'll do just that!” Sarah cried, and lunged at the sword that Kuon was wearing.

Camus, Percy and Kuon hurriedly stopped them.

“Do not touch a nun's body, you scoundrels!” Sarah could be heard shouting shrilly.

“You only act like a 'woman' when it's convenient!” Camus' angry voice joined in.

The men found themselves being hit and beaten back by the 'women', and Florrie was too flustered to know what to do. What was supposed to be a peaceful evening meal had all of a sudden turned as noisy as a brawl.

But, well, that kind of scene occurring was, in a way, proof that things had grown peaceful around Lord Leo.

Although Sarah and Aqua were eventually pacified and soothed one way or another and taken out of the room, there was one person whose mood did not lift.

Percy Leegan.

He had listened to Sarah's story with great interest, but no matter how much he looked like he was enjoying the dinner party, his heart had not been at ease.

Percy had not been able to take any part in bringing an end to Darren. To be more accurate, he 'hadn't been allowed to do anything'.

Originally, it had been the same for Kuon, who had brought five hundred soldiers in reinforcements, and for Camus, who had taken the unit of warrior monks and gone rushing to Leo's side. Neither had received those orders from the prince, and both had acted entirely on their own. Camus had even gone against Leo's orders “not to move the soldiers”. Although the pair's actions had proven effective in the war against Darren, that was only something that was clear with hindsight. Leaving their actions unsanctioned would disrupt the chain of command, and there was a risk that in the future, Leo's orders – or even his very existence – might be taken lightly.

Therefore, Leo Attiel should have publicly reprimanded both of them and handed down suitable punishments. Yet neither of them had received the slightest criticism. On the contrary, the prince openly praised them. And so the one who had remained in sole charge of the Personal Guards at the temple – in other words, Percy, the only one who had faithfully abided by Leo's orders – seemed to have drawn the short end of the stick.

''This trend can't be allowed to continue. It will affect our movements in the future. Should I advise the prince of that?'' He wondered. However: ''No, if it comes from me, he might take it as me being jealous of Camus and Kuon''. His face flushed red with shame.

He felt he was being childish.

Should he say something now?

No, for the first time in a long time, Leo was enjoying a dinner with his fiancée and the friends he could open up to in a relaxed atmosphere.

“Things are going to get tough for Kuon from now on, aren't they?”

Leo was implying that Kuon would be bearing the brunt of any fighting between Sarah and Aqua, and turned to Percy with a smile, looking for his agreement.

“It's just as you say,” Percy laughed without thinking, and, Kuon, who didn't understand what they were hinting at, was left feeling bewildered.

''Maybe it's fine for now. Later, after a bit more time has passed...''

In the end, he didn't have the courage to say anything, and kept it to himself.

There was one other reason for his despondency. And that was Lord Gimlé Gloucester.

When he had been at the temple, Percy had written a letter to Gimlé, the father of his fiancée, asking him to help the prince. And when his appeal had been ignored, Percy had been furious. It was probably because he himself was the only one who had been no use to Leo, but his anger was lasting for longer than even Percy had expected.

After the events with Darren, Percy had dropped by his parents' house in Tiwana on one occasion. At the time, Lord Gimlé had also just arrived in the capital.

“I travelled with my daughter. It's been such a long time, why not come and see us at our house?” Percy received a pointed invitation.

Percy Leegan was the oldest within Leo's group, so he often had to run around mediating between the other youngsters, but in actual fact, he too was also very young.

''He abandoned the prince and me, but the final outcome is that Darren was defeated and the prince survived, so now he feels the need to make it up to me'' – Percy felt repulsed and ended up turning down the offer, claiming to be in poor health.

Although it had felt good at the time to metaphorically flip Gimlé the bird, Percy regretted it later. He should have swallowed back his anger and his repulsion, and met Gimlé with a cool, calm expression.

And then, there was also Liana.

Perhaps Gimlé had revised his opinion of Leo, and was hoping to draw closer to him with the help of his daughter's fiancé. Basically, that might have been a chance to win over a steadfast ally from among the vassal-lords.

But Percy had shaken off Gimlé's outstretched hand. If, from here on, Gimlé took a harder stance against the Personal Guards, there wouldn't just be he question of what would happen to Percy's engagement with Liana, there was also the fact that the prince would have gained yet another difficult enemy.

''Even though I went and gave the prince advice about Miss Florrie, this is how I ended up handling things...''

In place of the somewhat bitter-tasting wine, Percy placed his forefinger in his mouth. He licked its the tip and traced his right, then his left eyebrow with it.

“Oh my, do you also know that charm, Sir Percy?”

Percy nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice suddenly spoke to him. When he turned toward it, it belonged to none other than that very same Miss Florrie Anglatt. From over her shoulder, he could see Leo, Camus and Kuon grouped together, talking.

''Is it about that war that I don't know about?'' he wondered with a trace of self-mockery.

Florrie was probably bored of the talk about battles.

“You transfer the gloom in your heart from your mouth to the eyebrows, where the wind blows it dry... I learned that from my mother. Were you educated in the ways of Badyne, Sir Percy?”

“No, I...”

Percy had learned the 'good-luck charms' that he occasionally performed out of habit from a prostitute that he had once been intimate with, back when he was even younger than he was now. But obviously, that wasn't something he could say.

“I was just imitating a good friend of mine who does those things a lot. But I hadn't realised that you were a follower of Badyne, Miss Florrie. If I've offended you with my thoughtless imitation...”

“Oh no. My mother only taught me the good-luck charms for fun when I was a child. The Badyne faith has terribly strict teachings, doesn't it? Someone as weak-hearted as me isn't fit to be a believer,” she laughed bashfully.

After which, she pointed to the space next to Percy. “And over there, are things alright?” she asked. “Leo... or no, that lord prince, is constantly talking about war with his friends. It's a little tiring.”

“Is that so?” Florrie's eyes widened with apparent surprise, then: “Have you noticed?”

“N-Noticed what?”

Florrie brought her face close to his as though they were really having a secret conversation, and Percy unconsciously sat up straight. The smile on her face was brimming with playfulness.

“The two serving maids who help with the meals here in Guinbar – the girl with the braid is Lana, and the tall one is Anne, but anyway – every time they look at you, they go red and look embarrassed, but they also seem quite happy. I'm sure they both like you, Sir Percy.”

“Oh, really?”

“How cold of you! But of course, I suppose that you're used to it.”

“N-Not at all. It's just that I find it hard to believe. Miss Florrie, are you sure you aren't mistaken about those two?”

“Absolutely not,” Florrie looked a little sulky. “I've always been sharp when it comes to things like that. Even when I was a child, I could tell what the relationship was between people on the estate just from a single glance. Oh, for example, how my older brother Walter likes that woman he's always taking flowers to, or how Brett, the gardener in charge of pruning, always looks sullen, but he seems to spend time with Cathy, the lady's maid. When I told Leo about Brett and Cathy, he didn't believe me. But later on, they got married,” Florrie looked proud of herself.
[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_169.png|thumb]]
As they continued to chat about nothing in particular, Percy noticed that the sharp pain in his heart had softened a little.

''Did she perhaps realize?'' The thought dawned on him.

It was probably in Florrie Anglatt's personality that if someone was feeling isolated, she could not leave them to themselves. Although neither Leo nor Camus had noticed that Percy was feeling gloomy, she had approached him.

''If it's this young lady, then surely...'' She must have likewise drawn closer to Lord Leo, when he had been experiencing the loneliness and anxiety of being left all by himself in Allion. Percy could well-imagine what the two young children had been like back then , and he smiled faintly.

===Part 3===

Although Oswell Taholin was a vassal-lord with a castle and lands in Atall, he had often dreamed of receiving an appointment in Allion, yet he had failed every time.

And this time as well.

He had been going to use Darren, who held a personal desire for revenge against Leo and Savan, to carry out the wishes of one of Allion's generals, Hawking, to both erase Leo and destroy the church that was being built in Savan’s territory, but... there is no need at this point to go into details about how that ended.

Darren was defeated. Oswell had sent Lance Mazpotter's unit to him, but they had disappeared after the events. As far as Oswell knew, they hadn't even sent a messenger. Perhaps Lance had been defeated in battle. They were, after all, a bunch of hardened thugs, so if that had happened, they would have scattered in all directions, forgetting any sense of duty towards their employer.

''Darren and Lance were both useless.''

He and Darren had both shared the same secret, but Oswell was far more cautious than Darren had been. Even though he sent secret letters to Darren, he always had them go with a messenger, who made sure that they were burned after Darren had finished reading them. There shouldn't be a single scrap of evidence still remaining in Olt Rose Castle that could prove the relation between Darren and Oswell.

Although that was something of a relief, it didn't do anything to lighten the bitterness of having his plan thwarted. For a while, Oswell was as sulky as a child.

Unlike Darren, he wasn't in the habit of going hunting or horseback riding every day; unlike Leo, he didn't read much; and nor was he a man who particularly treasured the time he spent with his family, like Bernard did. At court, he was, on the whole, an eloquent orator and a man who made his surroundings laugh with his ready wit, but he didn't really like to be in the limelight.

He didn't particularly enjoy drinking, either. He had no particular feelings about food, and he wasn't thinking of a taking a mistress this late in life. On a superficial level, he had plenty of friends, but no close companions that he could spend hours at a time with, so other than work, he didn't really have anything that he could do with his time.

He mostly stayed in his room, sitting in a chair with his own thoughts. He had no serious problems in his day-to-day life. His wife was a silent and submissive woman, and his two daughters had married into the houses of long-serving retainers. Oswell had also handed over the management of his lands to his adult son. Seen from the outside, Oswell's life was as easy and as satisfying as could be.

But he thought.

Since he very few problems, his thoughts quickly flew beyond every day matters and scattered in various directions.

Oswell Taholin was a man who had originally strengthened his ties with the princely house, yet he had suddenly started intriguing with Allion and, from then onwards, he had plotted several times to betray Atall's ruling family. Perhaps the time simply spent thinking, alone in his own room, had influenced that.

In the past, Hayden had inwardly accused him of being 'easily swayed', and that criticism wasn't unfounded. During the time he spent plunged in his own thoughts, and although he himself didn't realise it, Oswell's pride had gradually inflated. He began to think how melancholy it was that he should be in a single room of a tiny castle in a small country like Atall, he who pondered more than any great scholar, and whose thoughts galloped over every topic under the sun.

''I'm running out of time.''

He was no longer young. He had to hurry to a place where he could properly display his keen intelligence, and receive praise and honours in recognition of it. What was Atall? Who cared about the princely house?

His self-importance and conceit, which had swollen while he himself was unaware of it, was now so bulging and was inflated that he could no longer contain it. It was when Oswell was in that state that he received a proposal from Allion, and it was as shocking to him as an arrow to the head, and alluring enough to make him weep.

And yet...

''Damn you, Leo! Not just once but twice, and now three times...''

Dark emotions coiled about him and crept into Oswell's heart.

As far as he had been concerned, Lord Leo's existence was insignificant. Previously, in response to Hayden's request, Oswell had counselled the sovereign-prince to send reinforcements to Conscon Temple. At the time, Leo had still been a hostage in Allion. What would happen if Atall took action within Allion's territory, and if, as per Hayden's plan, they were found out?

''If the prince is killed'', he had thought, ''well, that's too bad.''

That was it. That was all there was to Leo's existence: no more than a fleeting life destined to vanish after having been toyed with fate, someone who was unable to take control of their own fate, simply because they had been born into a noble house. And yet, Leo had fled from Allion without permission; he had killed Hayden, the one who was supposed to open up the path for Oswell to become an Allian aristocrat; and now, he had defeated Darren, who had been the most perfect tool imaginable for Oswell to use.

Now, he had no choice but to acknowledge it: Leo Attiel was a fearsome enemy who stood in Oswell's way.

Being unable to deny his existence meant that Oswell's dream of becoming an Allian noble would remain unreachable, that the time he had spent plunged in thought by himself had been in vain, and that his life would end in a tiny country like Atall.

''Leo has to die.''

His existence was not only a barrier for Oswell; Hawking Ingram of Allion also regarded him as dangerous. Which meant that Leo's head would be the perfect present to deliver to Allion one day.

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed that his course of action had already been decided. In his room, which was conspicuous for the Allian-made furnishings within it, Oswell continued to spend gloomy nights.

So, what should he do?

Should he imitate Darren, and start by trying to gain allies at court? No, they were only fair-weather friends who changed with the wind. When Darren had been talking big, a great many people had taken a leaf out his book and harshly criticised Leo, but now, they all kept their mouths shut. In fact, now that Darren's various misdeeds had been exposed, there were plenty who praised Leo, saying that: “The prince splendidly dealt with that disloyal cur who had forgotten his own place.”

Getting them on his side now would require correspondingly huge amounts of effort, yet despite all of that hard work, he had no way of being sure that they would help him out if anything occurred.

''Doing the same as Darren would obviously just lead to failure.''

Darren had been fixated on showing off his power as an Atallese vassal-lord right until the end. In that case, the first thing to do would be to gather allies at court and send in soldiers as soon as he saw the right opportunity. However, since Oswell intended to abandon Atall itself, he really didn't feel like using such a long and tedious method.

─ Now then, on to Hawking Ingram, whose name was mentioned just now.

Oswell had maintained his ties with that crafty general even after Darren's death but, Hawking being Hawking, he was also in secret correspondence with someone from the Holy Dytiann Alliance, to the east of Atall. And that person was Bishop Baal.

Leo would have found it extremely strange if he had known about it. Hawking of Allion and Baal of Dytiann were the very two people who had once furiously traded verbal jabs in front of his own eyes. The two of them had been incapable of holding back from attacking and reproaching one another... so why?

Their verbal sparring had, of course, been genuine. It was not a play put on to deceive Leo. But on top of having representatives attend the conference, Allion and Dytiann had also exchanged letters and communicated through messengers. Since both sides had essentially been looking for 'the right moment to quit', they didn't only exchange vociferous claims: at times, they also hinted at concessions and, occasionally, appealed to the other's fellow feelings.

Though they carried neither swords nor guns, these two people were undoubtedly on the frontlines of a war between nations. They understood the other's point of view better than anyone. As the letters piled up between them, and although it was different from feeling of belonging to the same country, a strange sense of camaraderie was born between them.

This was by no means unique to Hawking and Baal, but was something that had been true since times immemorial. Moreover, as could be seen from his relation with Oswell, Hawking's diplomatic strategies were sometimes a little “obstinate”. Even when it seemed that a situation needed decisive measures, he would take the time – or even too much time – to obtain allies abroad.

And this time as well, it was probably Hawking who had approached Baal.

Bishop Baal of Dytiann was a man who, for some time now, had loathed Leo every bit as much as Darren had.

Naturally, he didn't vent his emotions when meeting messengers fom a foreign country, but Hawking was a man who had spent many years at the heart of intrigues and plots. Baal had recently been getting almost excessively close to Dytiann's “king”, Mordin, and, although he avoided doing so publicly and always acted behind the scenes, he was also busy criticising Mordin's younger brother, the Head Archbishop Wymer, and whipping up anti-Atall sentiment among those who agreed with him, working them into a fervour about how they needed to attack Atall. When Hawking somehow found out about it, he realised that Baal hated Leo with single-minded determination.

Hawking Ingram had realised far faster than either Darren or Oswell that: ''Lord Leo might one day become a danger''. And because of that, he was currently deploring Darren's failure even more bitterly than Oswell was. And just then ─

''Oh, interesting...''

Hawking spread the letters that he had received from both Oswell and Baal side-by-side on his desk.

Within Dytiann's territory, two men had been invited to a large bishop's hall on the banks of the river.

Neville and Godwin. Both had received family names from the Church but, currently, both had also been stripped of that right. “Invited” was perhaps not the right word, either, since both of them had their hands tied behind their back, and were being led by soldiers armed with guns.

Neville was in his twenties, and Godwin in his thirties. Both were young and had sturdy physiques. Their clothes were crude, and their hair and beards had grown long, but when he saw them, the first thing Baal said to them was not a greeting but: “I hardly recognised you”
[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_179.png|thumb]]
He wasn't being sarcastic. The last time he had seen them, they had been a far worse state than this. They had been covered in dirt and in the stench of faeces and urine, and their tattered clothes had been reduced to virtually useless scraps of cloth. That was normal enough, given that the first time Baal had met them, it had been in a prison.

Both of them were military men who had once fought for the Holy See. Within Dytiann's domains, anyone with any skill, regardless of their origins, has been gathered up and conscripted as soldiers into the 'Cruciform Army, the armed force under the direct control of the Holy See. Most of the time, they defended the papal domains and, whenever they received an order to do so, they headed off to suppress insurrections in whatever part of the territories these occurred in.

Nowadays, there was no organisation within Dytiann's territory called the 'Holy See'. Both of them were part of what was now referred to as 'the Old Church faction'; in other words, they were among those who had lost their power and their holy titles when the 'Current Church faction' – Mordin and Wymer included – had rebelled.

When Mordin's troops had been drawing near to the papal domains, a great many bishops and priests had gathered up all the riches they could carry, and quickly fled the territory.

The Cruciform Army was not the only one in charge of defending the papal domains, and each territory sent a complement of regular soldiers, but far from joining them to turn their spears against 'the enemies of God,' most of those soldiers had either escaped or betrayed them by joining Mordin. The Cruciform Army, which was largely made up of men recruited from the masses, was the only one who stood firm to the end against Mordin's troops.

From their commander, Maximo, downwards, they all of them flung their lives aside and literally used their own bodies as shields to defend the cathedral. The bloody result was that out of three thousand soldiers, more than seventy percent died in battle. Those who survived, like Neville and Godwin, were thrown into jail – every last one of them. Meanwhile, their families were kept under house arrest, and under surveillance. But perhaps the ones in charge of the monitoring were reluctant to keep an eye on all of the houses, especially in the villages that had provided a lot of men to the Cruciform Army.

“Evil teachings are being concealed within the villages, and the only way to stop them from spreading further is to purge them with fire,” they declared, before setting the villages alight and burning to death every one of the villagers.

When Mordin heard about it later, he was furious, and sentenced those responsible to be burned at the stake. But that didn't change the fact that those who belonged to the 'Old Church faction' suffered miserable fates no matter where they were.

The one which should have awaited Neville and Godwin was to die in prison. Bishop Baal, however, had visited them there about a month earlier.

In all honesty, Baal had not known their names. But he had been employing people to gather information on the survivors of the the 'Old Church faction,' and he had frequently been told that although these two were not famous, they were both highly skilled. And nothing could have suited Baal better than 'unknown but skilled'.

And now, one month later, Baal had the two men removed from prison and brought to his hall, albeit with their arms still restrained.

“Make yourselves comfortable,” Baal gestured the two young men towards chairs.

Godwin immediately complied but Neville, the younger of the two, remained standing. The soldiers who had brought them there pushed him by the shoulder, as though to force him to sit, but he didn't budge an inch. While Baal was wondering where on earth he found that kind of strength in that body of his, which had grown emaciated from long imprisonment, he also signalled to the soldiers:

“It's fine,” he had them back down. “You won't yield to a sworn enemy? It seems you still have a soldier's spirit.”

“A sworn enemy?” Neville laughed with such naked contempt behind his grimy beard that the soldiers who had only just calmed down at Baal's orders now once again flushed an angry scarlet.

“I don't know you. If I was going after a sworn enemy, it'd be Mordin, Wymer, Guerric,” he continued to enumerate the heroes who had destroyed the 'Old Church faction'. “Try giving me a blade, even a small one. I'll immediately send every last one of them to Hell, those bastards wallowing in their greed to rule over Dytiann, trampling on His Holiness the Pope's dying wish. I'm not going to bother with a nobody like you, so untie me right now and...”

Unable to control himself anymore, one of the soldiers struck Neville in the back with the butt of his gun. That was followed immediately by blows to his chest and stomach, and hard enough to break bones. The young man fell to his knees and hunched his back, but he did not utter a single cry of pain, and his glaring eyes never turned away from Baal.

His state of mind seemed the same as that of one already dead, who no longer felt pain in this world, but whose hatred and resentment still vividly remained. Deep down, Baal shuddered at being hit with the horrifying emotions of a corpse.

“Enough,” yet even so, he gave his orders to the soldiers in a low and dignified voice. “You say that we are trampling over His Holiness' dying wish. Well, there are a heap of objections I could make to that, but there's no point going over the endless fights of that time of civil war, when blood was washed away with blood. And my reason for calling you here would also be lost.”

“And what business do you have with the likes of us?” Godwin spoke for the first time since arriving there.

He was similarly emaciated, but he was a head taller than Neville and had once been known as 'the colossal monk'.

Baal nodded.

“I have something I earnestly want to ask of both of you.”

Neville snorted scornfully when he hear that, while Godwin's expression turned solemn. Just as Baal had said, the war which had unfolded was one in which both sides had slaughtered the other, 'washing blood away with blood'. And those grudges ran especially deep within the survivors of the Cruciform Army, who had lost so many of their companions.

“You really think we're going to do as you say, you who snatched away the pope's throne? There's nothing to talk about. ...Kill us. That's what you're planning on doing anyway, if we don't listen to you. Go on, stab us through the heart right now. Our souls will rise to the Heavens and there, we will once more serve His Holiness.”

Neville showed all the determination of the martyrs that are spoken of and written of in history, but when Baal continued to try and convince them, he did so by alluding to their families, who were still being kept under house arrest. Not surprisingly, the expressions on the men’s faces changed. Neville ground his teeth fiercely and scowled at Baal again.

“Is that a threat?”

“How you choose to take it depends on you. However, what I mean to say is that if you fulfil my request, I intend to release both your families from under surveillance. And besides...”

Since it looked like Neville was about to say something again, Baal spoke quickly to block him.

“...This is not a request that goes against your loyalty or your convictions. I'm not going to ask you to sell out your companions from the Holy See, or to become my subordinates, or anything like that.”

“Then what ''do'' you want?” asked Godwin.

Baal pressed his fingers together above his desk, and gave them a smile that was unusually friendly for him.

“In this world, there is an agent of the Devil who spits on our most important teachings, who tramples all over the Holy Book, and who, with his sweet words, deceives good people who once shared our beliefs before dragging them down into hell. I want you to destroy him. That man's name is Leo Attiel.”

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| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-06-28T18:25:02Z

Renuac: /* Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* June 17, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 2-3
* June 8, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 1
* June 1, 2018 - volume 3 complete
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue - chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface - chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">
=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Child of the Land]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Duellists]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Those who do, those who do not, and those who cannot take action]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Wolf and Fox]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Endings and Beginnings]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assassination Plot]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Venomous Serpent]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)|Narrator, to the Sky (in Place of Volume 4’s ‘Afterword’)]]
</div>
</div>
|}
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-06-17T08:51:45Z

Renuac: /* Updates */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* June 17, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 2-3
* June 8, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 1
* June 1, 2018 - volume 3 complete
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue - chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface - chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">
=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Child of the Land]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Duellists]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Those who do, those who do not, and those who cannot take action]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Wolf and Fox]]
</div>
</div>
|}
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Chapter3

2018-06-17T08:50:14Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Chapter 3: Wolf and Fox== ===Part 1=== It was just as Leo had imagined. By early evening, the area around the church had become a hunting ground for demons. Just as the..."

==Chapter 3: Wolf and Fox==

===Part 1===

It was just as Leo had imagined.

By early evening, the area around the church had become a hunting ground for demons.

Just as the prince had advised, a market had been set up, and business had been thriving when Darren's soldiers suddenly attacked. He sent out three hundred of his troops but, in practice, only about a hundred led the attack, while the remaining men stayed on standby on the Old Highway. There was nobody at the market who would be able to put up a fight against them, so a hundred was more than enough. The assailants set fire throughout the market place for no reason at all, trampled the fleeing populace beneath their horses' hooves, struck young and old alike with bludgeons and mallets, and then sliced through their necks with blades.

Black smoke rose from all over, and as it swirled upwards, it seemed to drag with it the unending chorus of screams and cries. Some of the merchants had hired mercenaries as guards before coming, but that was only to deter thieves and bandits from attacking them on the road, and no one had ever imagined this kind of situation.

In the end, the people at the marketplace were unable to put a resistance or fight back, and they were slaughtered one-sidedly. When the excitable soldiers noticed a good-looking woman, they hoisted her onto their shoulders, cut off her feet her to stop her from moving, and had their men tie her up. If their lover or husband gave themselves over to fury, or if their children tearfully tried to oppose the soldiers, the number of victims only increased.

“This way, everyone, hurry!”

Bishop Bosc opened the doors of the church, and frantically shouted for people to come and take refuge inside, personally going out again and again to lead them in. Even though it was still in the middle of construction, the church was the only solid building in the area. People flooded into it, driven forward by terror.

The mother's expression was also deformed by fear as she hurried to the church, leading her young daughter by the hand, but a fat merchant rushing up from behind pushed her out of the way, and both mother and child tumbled to the ground.

“Hurry!”

Even so, the mother quickly struggled to her feet, and lifted up her daughter. The child was sobbing convulsively as her mother pulled her along by the hand and they started running again, but an attacker on horseback drew up behind them.

The spear in his hand was wet with blood, and his clean-shaven face had relaxed into a slovenly expression. He was drunk on the joy of massacre.

“D'you want to ran over there? Oookay, I'll let you run. But you have to have my horse follow you.” The man with the clean-shaven face deliberately avoided catching up with the mother and daughter, and laughed loudly as he stayed just behind them. “Running is useless, anyway. The building to the evil god will be burned down soon enough. You can curse Leo's name when you go to hell, since he built that thing and called death down on you all.”

Tired of playing tag, the soldier raised his spear. Its tip was aimed at the mother; he would stab it through her back then ride his horse to trample over the child where she fell.

But he never had the opportunity to carry out that plan. An arrow pierced his elbow, crushing the bone and slicing through his tendons. His blood and his screams gushed up simultaneously

A horse swiftly came up to him. For a second, he thought it was an ally. After all, there couldn't have been anyone on horseback other than his allies.

Yet the man on that horse was a stranger. No... rather than a man, he was more like a boy. And that boy swung a sword down towards him. Out of reflex, the clean-shaven soldier raised his wounded arm above his face, but the blade smoothly changed trajectory and, in a sideway sweep, sliced through clean-shaven's throat. The mother and daughter gazed up at the rain of blood coming from overhead.

“Go, hurry!” the boy yelled as his sword repelled the bludgeon that another soldier swang at him, before striking a blow in return and smashing his enemy's crude helmet.

That boy's name was Kuon.

It wasn't just him: an entire group had burst in like a sudden gust of wind onto a scene in which there had been nothing but blood and screams. They had dispersed into every direction, fiercely striking at Darren's soldiers from under the cover of their allies' arrows. They had no banner, and wore no visible insignia.

“W-Who are you!?” even though Darren's soldiers screamed in confusion, this new group had neither the duty nor the obligation to introduce themselves. Bellowing their war cries, they toppled the demons who were smeared in the blood of the people, slicing them down, and piercing them through with arrows.

Kuon halted his horse to protect the mother and daughter as they fled, and to run his eye around his surroundings for a moment, and the archer who had shot through clean-shaven's arm a moment ago rode up beside him. It was Aqua. And it was, of course, the mountain warriors who had thwarted what was supposed to be a one-sided slaughter led by Darren's men.

But they weren't alone, and, just a moment earlier, men from a different tribe had surged into the church's surroundings in response to Kuon's order.

Kuon turned back once to check that the mother and daughter had disappeared into the church at Bosc's urging, then exchanged a look with Aqua.

“Right,” they spurred their horses on to their next prey.

─ To explain how Kuon came to be there, we need to wind back time a little.

About five days after he had left the mountains with reinforcements from his clan, they ran into an unexpected ambush in the north of the Kesmai Plains.

This wasn't because of a lack of vigilance on Kuon's part. Although most of the Kesmai Plains was barren land with only the reddish-brown forms of sandstone cliffs as far as the eye could see, there was a narrow river running through it, flowing towards the mouth of the Zedora in the east, and its banks were dotted with patches of green grasslands. Since these meadows were suitable for pasture, the horse-riding tribes frequently pitched their tents in them. The violent temper of the Kesmai nomads was also well-known, so Kuon was going to keep as far away from these small steppes as he could, so as to avoid any unnecessary fights.

Yet, ahead of them, in the shadow of a rocky hill that looked like a man-made fortress, they spotted a group of about ten horsemen.

''Enemies?'' the mountain tribe was immediately on frenzied alert, but Kuon had noticed the white flag that the group was flying. These were nomads from the Halia tribe.

Kuon gave the order to pull up behind the riders. The dry wind blew between the two groups. Since one of the other riders had dismounted and seemed to be about to approach them, Kuon also jumped down from his horse. The man from the Halia tribe looked astonished as he approached him. When Kuon had killed Bahāt, a man whose violence had been causing endless trouble for Hāles – the head of the tribe – this young man had been one of those who had gone with Hāles to help provide cover with his bow for Kuon and Sarah. Kuon recognised that scar on his cheek.

Kuon and the young man from the Halia tribe came to a halt between their two groups.

“Kuon, it really is you.”

The man lowered his voice since, even within the tribe, no one except those who had taken part in it knew that Kuon had cooperated with Hāles to kill Bahāt. He continued,

“Our people have been really worried: the tribe which has always stayed in the southern mountains suddenly started flocking in droves to these lands,” he said.

Someone had seen Kuon's group heading north, and had raced hurriedly to inform their tribe about it. Normally, the nomads were divided into a number of clans which travelled around the grasslands that were scattered throughout the plains. And although the Kesmai Plains were vast, its meadows were scarce, so there were plenty of times when groups clashed with one another over territory rights. Yet when they heard the news that: “The mountains are moving,” they all hastily got in touch with their fellow tribesmen.

There was no time for family quarrels when an unexpected threat was drawing near. If one of the many powers scattered throughout the plains had allied itself with the 'mountains' to destroy the power balance in Kesmai, then they might need to work together to crush that plan as quickly as possible. Following that, Hāles, the young head of the Halia, decided that the first thing to do was to try and approach the 'mountains'.

But although he understood the situation, Kuon could not afford to stop here. It was lucky that the one chosen as an envoy was a young man who shared Chief Hāles' secret. Kuon was easily able to explain to him both his reason for crossing the Kesmai Plains and heading towards the 'mountains', as well as why he was now once more travelling across the plains, this time with the mountain people in tow.

“We just want to go through Kesmai. Unless someone tries to stop us, we absolutely won't do anything to interfere here.”

“I'll report to the Chief. I think you already know this, but don't go near the meadows. Our clan is one thing, but there are plenty of guys with short fuses in the other ones too.”

The nomad riders left, and Kuon and his group once more started heading north. During the next few days, although the figures of other horsemen – who were probably monitoring them – could occasionally be glimpsed in the distance, the mountain people were able to advance without meeting any obstacles.

It was on a day when the wind was blowing somewhat strongly that they received an answer from the head of the Halia. A party of about thirty riders appeared, their white robes fluttering in the brownish, sand-laden wind.

The one acting as their envoy was the young man with the scarred cheek.

“Our chief, Lord Hāles, has mediated with the other tribes, and has informed all of them that this move from the 'mountains' isn't going to harm the plains,” he explained to Kuon.

Chief Hāles had also added that: “I owe a great debt to Master Kuon and Lady Sarah,” and, as such, he had sent them reinforcements: “By Faihan, the fang of the Wolf God, Roh Gas, which continued to fight even after it had been broken off, I pray that Master Kuon will make free use of the thirty that I send him.”

Naturally, Kuon was surprised.

“Hang on. You don't need to go that far. Bahāt was... er, no, I mean, when I did ''that'', it was for my own sake, not yours.”

“Don't worry,” the young man's dark, suntanned face broke out into a smile. “The Halia tribe isn't afraid, first, to fight, and second, to die in combat. By Faihan, the fang of Roh Gas which came to life, I hope that you won't hold back when using us.”

That really wasn't what Kuon had meant, but since they couldn't afford to waste any time, he decided to swallow his surprise and add these new companions to the group.

“I'm called Zan Chiredeau,” the young man introduced himself.

And so, Kuon continued his way across the plain, while gaining some unplanned allies. Their trip was uneventful... Or would have been, if not for the fact that they were attacked by wolves one night.

It was often said that: “the wolves of the Kesmai Plains know the taste of human flesh.” There were stories about how, when they attacked the camps set up by merchant caravans from the north, they would leap to attack humans, even though these held flame torches in their hands, rather than the horses who were tied to one place.

The mountain people were all thrown into a frenzy, but Zan and the other nomads knew what to do: “There aren't many of them, so we can drive them away with jūma smoke,” they said and, from their saddlebags, they produced bundles of dried grass that they then set alight. The smoke had a unique smell that wolves hated.

The young nomads, Zan included, brandished the lit bundles of grass while chanting prayers to the wolf god. The beasts growled and snuffled almost sadly, but before long, they hung their heads and turned tail one after another.

After which, the group was fortunately able to leave the Kesmai Plains without meeting any more packs of wolves or swarms of ashinaga.

Taking the same route as when heading towards the mountain, Kuon led the way across the Pass of the Wailing Tresses and then to the highway. There, he chose about ten riders, and hurried ahead with them to Guinbar.

He was fretting that Darren's forces might start marching at any moment but, at the time, the situation was still perfectly peaceful. It was so anticlimactic that Kuon felt let down. And on top of that, when he asked Savan, he learned that Leo was away from the castle.

For a while, Kuon hesitated about what to do. He had the option of waiting at Guinbar, but this was his first time leading troops of several hundred men. He couldn't just decide at his own discretion where they would be lodged, and where they would live. If he had discussed things with Savan, he would certainly have been able to sort that out, but Leo was Kuon's direct superior, the equivalent of a unit leader in the mountains, and so it wasn't to Savan that he was going to entrust his fate..

“In that case, I'll head to Bernard's territory too,” he decided, and immediately got back on his horse. It hadn't even been an hour since he had first passed through the gates of Guinbar Castle.

''What a restless child'', thought Savan, but turned his mind to practical things:

“If you go straight along the highway, you'll arrive in Darren's territory. I'll send some soldiers to guide you.”

Thus, after joining up with his main force of riders again, Kuon rode fast to the east of Guinbar and arrived at the start of the Old Highway before sunset. There, he made an encounter that was completely outside of his predictions; he met with the advance unit that Darren had sent out.

Darren Actica had left Dharam with a force of two thousand, from which he had detached a unit of five hundred, and had them advance as the vanguard. Since three hundred of those were to attack the church, the remaining two hundred were moving forward along the Old Highway to attack the guard posts and take control of the relay stations. Among them, twenty riders were travelling ahead to the west, scouting out where to set up a blockade along the old road. These were the ones who ran into Kuon.

Naturally, Darren's men were startled by this group of riders that had suddenly appeared out of the blue. Judging from their appearances, they guessed that they were probably bandits who had established their base nearby.

“Who are you bastards?” they arrogantly called out to them. “Get out of the way. We've got several hundred soldiers behind us, so don't look down on our numbers,” they said. “You trot along quietly. We don't have time to deal with you lot,” they sneered from horseback and held up their weapons threateningly.

Kuon scrunched his eyes into a squint. Among the mountain tribe, his eyesight was known to be especially good, and even in the dusky light of sunset, he spotted the crest on their armour. It was the emblem that had also been on the enemy banners back when he had fought at Olt Rose – the crest of the Actica family. And in fact, the leader of the scouting party was a man with family ties to House Actica.

Kuon threw out his chest with deliberate provocation.

“Who are these 'insolent curs'?” he shouted back an expression that he had picked up somewhere. “I serve Lord Leo, and I'm on urgent business. You guys are the ones who need to give way.”

“What!”

“Did he say the prince?”

Their opponents were visibly shaken. Which was perfectly understandable: they were supposed to be leading a surprise attack, so it was unthinkable that the prince was already moving into action.

Just then, someone brought their horse up alongside Kuon's. It was Aqua. 'She' – 'he', I should say – was wearing full armour, and tossed a glare at the opposing side before asking: “Are they enemies?”

Energy was almost radiating from that helmeted profile. The message was clear: either they had enemies to be defeated, or they were just wasting their time by stopping here like this. Kuon found it kind of amusing.

At the same time, he also came to a decision: there was no point arguing back and forth here. No matter what their opponents said or did from now on, the response was already clear. Namely –

“They're enemies. Get 'em.”

Kuon kicked his horse's flanks. By the time he had pulled the sword from at his waist, Aqua's bow was already taking aim.

“R-Retreat!”

“Head back to the station. Before we're attacked by the prince's troops!”

Their opponents all simultaneously started turning their horses around. Kuon had already made his mind up about this, too. The man who was the slowest to turn back fell from his horse, his throat pierced by Aqua's arrow. Kuon's horse galloped past him in the next instant, and the rest of the group of riders also sped forward to the echo of their horses' hooves.

For a little while, it turned into a chase, but their numbers were fundamentally different. And the people of the Halia tribe could ride across the plains all day without problem. With that kind of rider, the horses were also well-trained: even though their opponents' horses were panting wildly, the nomads' steeds chased after them with complete unconcern.

Kuon had half of the twenty men killed, and the remaining half tied up and interrogated. From what they said, there were less than two hundred soldiers occupying the relay station up ahead.

So Darren Actica had already made his move, after all.

The Halia tribesmen had some experience when it came to dealing and trading with urban settlements, including those in Atall, so Kuon entrusted them with a message from him, and sent them to Guinbar Castle. After sending them off, he took the lead of the group of riders, and they boldly rode along the Old Highway.

They arrived at the relay station around midnight, where they saw torches had been lit. These were not nightlights for travellers, but fires allowing the occupying military unit to keep a watch on their surroundings. When they noticed Kuon's group approaching, the soldiers on guard came racing over. They probably thought that the scouting party had returned, but Aqua, who was next to Kuon, already had a bow drawn tight and, using the torches as signpost, pierced a soldier's windpipe with an arrow.

A second went by. Kuon was reminded of the time he had pissed on an ants' nest, back when he was very young. After a moment, countless numbers of them had come scurrying out of their den. The only difference was that this time, it was humans, not ants.

Only about half of them were armed, and the rest of them looked like they had been roused from their beds. It would have been better for them if they had taken shields, but most of them had just grabbed a single weapon. The mountain people aimed their many arrows at the 'ants'. Almost all of them had better night-vision than those raised in cities, and the men of the tribe normally spent their days shooting down birds and beasts. Darren's soldiers, who had not even been wearing armour, fell crashing to the ground.

Seeing that the time was right, Kuon carved his way through the front. Here again, it was a one-sided fight. The soldiers on Darren's side realised their complete disadvantage, and were going to double back along the Old Highway, but Kuon had sent men from the Halia tribe in that direction beforehand, and they were waiting there in ambush.

Screams, shrieks, and cries of pain rose into the night along the road, but they didn't last long. The entire fight didn't even last half an hour.

Despite achieving victory for now, Kuon and his group had no time to rest. They left only a few soldiers to guard the relay station, and immediately headed east along the Old Highway. Yet neither the mountain men nor the nomads showed any sign of fatigue. On the contrary; their eyes gleamed, hungering for blood. Aqua, who had killed humans for the first time, was in the same state.

“Is that it? Are these Atall's soldiers? They're way slower and more cowardly than the beasts in the mountains.”
Kuon shook his head at those words.

“Things won't go this easy forever.”

The heads of unit among the soldiers who were following him backed him up.

“Stay focused! Heed the words of the warrior who even defeated Raga!” they shouted, and cries of agreement rose up from within the troops.

It was late afternoon of the following day when Guinbar Church came into sight. The surprise attack from Darren's soldiers had begun, and there were already many victims. Kuon realised that they were late, but not yet too late.

“Let's go,” Kuon gave his order from horseback. “Everyone, attack!”

This was no place for detailed tactics. The mountain warriors were used to acting with their households – in other words, with their units – and the nomads also knew how to hunt and how to attack. Aqua's first arrow, which pierced clean-shaven's arm, signalled the start of their assault. And Darren's side was about to be crushed for the third time in a very short span by the same group.

===Part 2===

Riding at the centre of his main force, Darren Actica doubted his ears when he heard the report from the unit sent to attack the church.

“That's absurd! Impossible!”

How many times had Darren used the words 'absurd' and 'impossible' since he and Leo had started opposing one another?

It was obvious that both Savan Roux and Leo Attiel had grown careless after the sovereign-prince had dispatched envoys. Leo had left Guinbar, and Savan had opened a market near the church. It was the perfect opportunity; Darren's troops were at the ready, and he made the most of the envoy who had been sent to him to fabricate an excuse, and to give them the signal to march on Guinbar.

And now, his plan to first burn down the market place and destroy the church while simultaneously advancing on Guinbar had been foiled.

''They did suspect something? No, there aren't enough of them for an ambush. Leo shouldn't have any troops he can move, and even if Savan desperately scrapes up as many men as he can, we should have at least twice, or even three times their numbers. So what's the scale of this force? And its line-up?'' Endless worries assailed him.

The only thing that was certain, was that the unexpected had occurred. He no needed time to reorganise himself.

“It looks like when they attacked us on the day of the festival, they had also predicted how we would react. As expected of Leo and Savan, those cunning bastards.”

He deliberately avoided showing how shaken he was, and retreated for the time being to a village on the very edge of his domains.

The same report reached Leo a little bit later than it had Darren, at just about the time when Leo was thinking off going to the enemy's camp to make them stop their attack.

Since the information was based on what had leaked out from Darren's camp and from the village where they had taken up position, the identity and exact scale of the friendly reinforcements which had suddenly appeared was unknown. It was clear from the report, however, that the forces which driven had Darren back were neither from Atall, nor from any of the surrounding countries, and Leo had an immediate intuition of who it might be.

''Is it Kuon?''

It was as though the clouds covering the sky had parted, and the sun was shining brightly through. At with it, Leo stood up and set to work with so much energy, it was hard to believe that up until then, he had been sitting hugging his knees. He had messengers come and go incessantly until he had gathered all possible information.

It looked like it really was Kuon who had arrived with reinforcements. However, he was remaining by the church, without setting off to meet up with Leo. Darren's sphere of influence extended to the east of him. ''Perfect'', thought Leo. At the same time as he sent a direct messenger to Kuon, he also ordered Bernard to assemble his battle flags.

“What do you intend to do?”

“You just need to collect the flags together. You don't need to do anything else afterwards, so don't get in my way at least.”

Bernard was half astonished, half exasperated by Leo's attitude and manner of speaking. When Stark had been coercing him, Leo had looked sulky then, just as his emotions seemed about to erupt, he had sat hugging his knees, as depressed as thought the world were ending. And now, here he was, as cool and calm as a military commander.

''He's just like a little child'', he thought. At the same, he felt a certain admiration: ''But right now, there's a sharpness to him that could cut anyone who touched him.''

Stark Barsley had already left the castle. However, even though he was preceded by a messenger on a swift horse, it would still take some time before the sovereign-prince was informed of what was going on. Not so long ago, Leo had been impatient for that, but now, he thought the exact opposite: he needed to settle things before his father interceded.

''This time...'' Leo's face still had lingering traces of childishness, but the expression he wore tightened.

For the next few days, he went around the villages in the western part of Bernard's territory – which meant the ones which were nearest to Dharam – gathering young men. In the past, people had said that he was 'headhunting' in the outskirts of Guinbar, but this time, Leo had no intention of taking these men as soldiers.

He travelled to the domain's border, and there set up camp in the ruins of an old temple. The building had existed before Atall had even been a country, and only hermits or recluses went anywhere near it nowadays, but Leo had provisions and men transported there.

The people he had gathered were set to work digging up the surroundings all day long. They piled up earth close to the temple, and managed to complete an improvised moat and defensive wall.

Inside the camp, Leo flew the flags that Bernard had collected for him. He also chose several men from among the warrior monks, and sent them to villages in the Dharam area. Dressed in their priestly robes, they went around all over, spreading rumours while pretending to zealously be preaching their faith.

“Bernard seems to have joined forces with Lord Leo.”

“If Lord Actica invades Guinbar, the prince will certainly attack from the rear with the forces that Bernard has lent him.”

“When that happens, the villages will definitely suffer. You need to keep a close watch on that camp, so that when the prince sets out, you can evacuate as quickly as possible.”

Those rumours spread through the villages like wildfire. Naturally, Darren, who was waiting for a chance to lead a new invasion, could not afford to ignore them.

Right after his first attempt had been blocked, he had ordered the marauders, who were lying in wait throughout Guinbar's territory, to start increasing their activities. As a result, Savan had suddenly found his hands were tied. He had sent five hundred soldiers to the Old Highway, where the fake bandits had taken up position, but it looked like that was the limit in terms of troops that he could afford to move around, and since then, there had been no obvious movement from Guinbar.

''Good. With this, I still have a chance at victory''. Darren licked his lips with satisfaction, but still, the information that Bernard might attack from behind was extremely problematic.

Having said that, Darren could not afford to waste too much time. Just like Leo, he felt that he needed to finish things before the sovereign-prince could intervene. Events were currently uncertain and unsettled, which was exactly why he had to force them into moving towards his goal. Because once his movements were brought to a halt, it would take a lot of time and effort to get the situation to change again.

I may have said this before but Leo and Darren were surprisingly alike in that shared belief.

“Summon Lance Mazpotter,” Darren ordered.

He had never personally met him. And as for the messenger that Lance had once sent him, the man's attitude had been so overbearingly arrogant that Darren hadn't been able to stomach him.

''It's easy to tell what kind of person his leader Lance is'', he had thought at the time. Darren was proud of being the most influential of all Atall's vassal-lords, and Lance was definitely not someone he wanted to meet firsthand.

Still – He's a man I can use. There was no denying that. In all honesty, with his skill, it wouldn't have been in the least bit surprising if he had been in command of a thousand, or even ten thousand, soldiers for some country somewhere. But perhaps the man called Lance found pleasure in leading a band of marauders, and when, after the battle at Olt Rose, Darren had hinted that he wouldn't mind officially hiring him, Lance had sent someone to decline the offer.

''What a fool. The day I defeat Leo and take Guinbar, I'll just appoint him to something in my new territory.''

Lance didn't have any aspirations. He wasn't capable of having them; at the end of the day, he was a man well-suited to living like a stray dog. Darren found him hard to understand, but at least he served his purpose.

Anyway, having heard that Lance had arrived, Darren had him allowed into his pavilion. And was instantly left feeling bewildered. The one who appeared was a tall man with an eye patch over his left eye; it was that self-same insolent messenger.

No matter how much he might dislike the other party, Darren had intended to welcome him warmly – feeding the dog a bone, so to speak – but now...

“Where's Lance?” his voice was unintentionally laced with fury. “I'm not talking to the likes of you. Go get your leader.”

“What funny things you say,” said the man with the eye patch. But he was not smiling. “By the way, I don't think I ever introduced myself, Lord Actica. ''I'm'' Lance Mazpotter. I've lived for nearly forty years, but I've never been called by any other name, and in my unit, there's no one else by the name of Lance, either.”

“What?” Darren's mouth dropped open.

The one in front of him did not seem to be either lying or joking. Then it must be the truth. This man, in light armour and with his long hair bunched up behind his head, really was Lance. Which meant that previously, when Leo's army had been in position right in front of Olt Rose Castle, the leader of the unit had snuck in alone to meet with Darren.

Lord Actica wiped the sweat that was oozing from his brow.

“I see... in that case, I apologise. I would never have imagined that you were Sir Lance in person, and...”

“Drop it,” Lance was as haughty as ever. “And? What do you want?”

Darren felt fury well up within him, but he somehow managed to swallow it back down, and talked about the encampment within the ruined temple in Bernard's territory.

“I'm not saying that it needs to fall right this second. I just want you to cause enough trouble at the camp that they won't be able to interfere when we take Guinbar.”

“I see. It's certainly the perfect mission for us,” Lance nodded, looking completely unruffled.

His forte lay in making use of horses, and he had once played Leo's forces for fools by repeatedly charging at them then withdrawing. It would be child's play to confine the enemy within a small area.

Darren didn't like the man, but he appreciated that he caught on fast. Feeling generous, he saw him off at the end with a gracious smile and a few parting words:

“They say that Leo is there. That damned whelp fancies himself a hero, so he probably resents you for having defeated him, Sir Lance. If he heads out, I won't mind even if you kill him.”

Lance nodded for appearances' sake, but, in a low voice, he murmured: ‘’I wonder.’’

Lance Mazpotter.

He was said to hail from Atall, but no details were known about where his birthplace was specifically, what his father's occupation had been, or when it was that he had left the principality.

When he was in his twenties, his fame had started to grow in the northern coastal countries as a bandit and pirate captain. After a number of feats impressive enough to be widely retold, he had suddenly started commanding a navy ship for Tallnia, one of said coastal countries. He spent about two years in the very navy which had been his natural enemy during his pirate days. His life was relatively well-established: adored by the sailors of Tallnia and with countless rumours floating around about his affairs with court ladies, Lance had achieved a certain pinnacle of success. Yet, and again very abruptly, he then fled Tallnia, leaving behind words to the effect that "I got tired of the sea".

According to one opinion, he had escaped because his life was being targeted due women-related problems.

He returned to Atall as he was nearing the end of his twenties, and became a mercenary along with several companions who had followed him since his days as a pirate. As there was, however, practically no work to be found in Atall, he got tired of touring around it as a hired soldier, and immediately started in the marauding trade.

These marauders were, so to speak, employed by rural domain lords – or, better said, they received their tacit consent to actions such as forcing merchants and travellers at the borders of the domain to employ them as escorts, or arbitrarily setting up barriers and collecting high tolls from them, since they also acted as domain guards. Their functions also included occasionally heading off to another territory or country at the request of the local ruler, and there attacking villages ad ports, snatching cattle and crops, or setting fire to houses and ships. Since nothing they did could be ascribed to any country or military, and as they could be thrown away whenever one wanted, they were very convenient for Atall and its surrounding countries.

The marauder business seemed to strangely suit Lance's nature. He who had quickly tired of both piracy and being in the navy moved all over Atall plying this trade. He would be hired one day by a domain lord to set fire to another fief's fields, then the very next day, having been employed by the farming families in that land, he would crush the domain lord's troops while the latter was still planning his next and final move. Right after being rewarded by merchants whom he had escorted to a safe destination, he would receive a request from poverty-stricken nearby villages and would then plunder the merchants' goods, and split them equally with the villagers.

It had nothing to do with beliefs. He accepted whichever requests he pleased. Nor was he particularly interested in money. Nonetheless, once Lance Mazpotter accepted a request, he would never abandon it halfway. And he always carried it through successfully. It was only ever the day after he had completed a request that he would switch over to the other side. Those were, so to speak, his 'aesthetics'.

For the past ten years or so, Lance had been fond of horses, had loved war, and had shared his bed with women and drink. However –

‘’I just kinda..’’

– He had reached the point of wondering if he was tiring of this, too. Of late, he had not come across either a battle or a woman that set his blood aflame.

Having said that, he was not thinking of officially entering any country's employ at this late hour. When Darren had made his offer, Lance had likewise turned it down. It would be wrong to say that he was now feeling pessimistic enough to be 'looking for a place to die'.

Since it was only on the level of "not all that fun," Lance accepted that there was no other choice but to put up with it.

‘’Ride, plunder, kill and set fire until the day you can no longer move and are abandoned where you fall by your companions and your horses? Well, wouldn't that be a fitting death for Lance Mazpotter?’’ half in self-derision, he had recently been contemplating that thought.

After Lance left Darren's pavilion, and without having spoken a word of those thoughts of his, he started that very day to gather up his companions, who were usually scattered all over the place, in order to faithfully carry out the request he had received.

Three days later, he had collected seven hundred men and had arrived at his destination.

Leo, on the opposing side from him, had brought all three hundred of his warrior monks to the temple ruins where, in the dead of night, they were attacked by Lance's troops. Speaking purely about the outcome, it was a perfectly obvious one: Leo suffered a crushing defeat.

Their guns fired through holes in the fences and walls, but, in the darkness, they hit nothing. The enemy, on the other hand, seemed to be laughing at their defencelessness, and easily broke through each important position, until they had even crossed over the dry moat which had been dug out with so much effort.

Just when it looked like they were converging to attack in one direction, they suddenly appeared from the side as well. There were several different moments when soldiers carrying ladders managed to scramble up and breach the walls, but Camus and the warrior monks were all battle-hardened, and they beat them back energetically. Perhaps Lance suspected that they would follow up by attacking his unit, since he quickly pulled back, waiting for the exact moment when Leo's side would be catching its breath to attack again.

They did not have enough soldiers to launch a counter-attack from their camp. Once their walls were breached, Leo and his men had no choice but to immediately pull back. They set the temple ruins on fire, and escaped to the east.

At around about the same time –

“Push forward without looking back.” – Darren and his force of two thousand once again started marching on Guinbar.
It looked as though the few measures that Leo had taken were completely in vain, yet he set up camp a few kilometres east of the temple ruins, and once more raised his flag. Lance started to chase after them, but this was, after all, Bernard's territory, and Lance would not unconcernedly penetrate further into it. He sent out scouts in various directions, and took the time to check whether there weren't any soldiers poised to strike at his riders.

Leo, for his part, did not remain idle during that time. In this second camp, he handed out spears to the young men he had recruited from the villages, and had them line up in formation. From atop his horse, he once more took up position at the centre of the encampment. Then, as a provocation to Lance's side, he rode down the hill by himself, and deliberately let them catch sight of him.

A part of Lance's unit was lured out, but Camus and other warrior monks, who were concealed in the forest by the side of the hill, were waiting for them with guns in hand.

There was a volley of gunfire and men and horses fell to their side, struck down by lead bullets.

“Bastards!” the cavalry unit was about to charge into the forest, but Camus and his group swiftly retreated. Following an escape route which had been prepared beforehand, the monks released a second, then a third salvo of shots even as they increased the distance between them and the cavalry unit, which was held back by having to make its way through the trees.

“Don't chase them too far!” Lance's orders were as quick as ever.

Darren looked down on Leo as a “brat who thinks he's a hero,” but Lance did not underestimate the opponent whose soldiers he had clashed against. Quite the opposite: ‘’There aren't many in Atall who can wage war like him’’, was how he saw it.

While still on horseback, he wet his finger.

“The wind's in the right direction. Set fire to the forest.”

His order was meant to deprive Camus' ambushing troops of anywhere to hide. But by that time, Camus and his men had already crossed the forest and left by the north, where they met up with Leo and the others.

To prevent horses from breaking through, a ring of abattis had been set up at the foot of the hill where Leo had established his camp, but a number of men from Lance's unit dismounted and went running to uproot the wooden spikes.
While half of the unit was occupied at that, the other half provided covering fire with bows and guns.

Of course, Leo's side aimed similar weapons back at them, but when about a third of the fence and already been pulled up, Leo came a decision:

“We're retreating.”

They fled further east at a speed which left Lance's unit dumbfounded. Here too, the conclusion was obvious –

Right from the start, Leo had never intended to face Lance Mazpotter directly.

===Part 3===

‘’I won't lose this time!’’ – facing an opponent who had once defeated him, it was only natural for a young man's feelings to flare up. Unfortunately, however, that was not Leo's case. Or rather, no, he did have those feelings, it was just that...

‘’At best, I only have three hundred soldiers that I can freely command’’ – he also had that other 'viewpoint'.

Even though he had gone to pieces when he had heard that Darren's forces were advancing on Guinbar, he could also observe himself with surprising detachment. And when he received the information that Lance Mazpotter was moving to attack the temple ruins, his first thought was: ‘’Good.’’

They would run.

Leo easily abandoned both the first, then the second of his encampments. Still, he used various tricks so that his intentions wouldn't be seen through too quickly; one such was when he had shown himself to lure the enemy.

Setting up camp to draw out the enemy, then escaping as soon as he saw a chance to do so... It's easy enough to talk about, but a war of retreat was, of course, always accompanied by considerable danger. At the first glimpse of an opportunity, the horse-riding unit would effortlessly crush Leo's troops, which were so few in number. Yet Leo repeated the manoeuvre.

In a situation in which bullets would fly at him as soon as he stopped, or where his head might be smashed open at any moment, he kept his gaze on what was happening in all directions and gathered detailed information from the messengers sent by each platoon, and with that, made his decisions.

The airship that Camus had brought from Mount Conscon was invaluable in this. Leo did not send this precious weapon directly out to fight, but only occasionally despatched it into the sky to have an idea of how the battle was progressing. On one occasion, Leo himself had gone up, clinging to the pilot's back and with his face hidden under a helmet. From high above them, he could see the full picture of how his allies and enemies were moving.

After they had been chased from their second camp, Leo set up yet another one.

“We're just being lured away, huh,” Lance Mazpotter said in disgust after stopping his horse.

When he had first received Darren's order to 'cause chaos in the camp in Bernard's territory,' Lance's honest opinion was that: ‘’This man is a fool’’. Although it was certainly a tactic that Lance excelled at, if they were going to use the same method anyway, then they should been the ones spurring their horses towards Guinbar Castle.

“Darren should have assembled his men and horses at Olt Rose, and continued threatening the prince from there. If he had, the prince wouldn't have been able to move, and Darren wouldn't have ended up on the battlefield for no reason. And as for us, we wouldn't have had to waste our time like this, and we could have struck a blow that would have been enough of a threat against Savan.”

Darren was not used to war after all. He loathed Savan, and what he wanted above all else was to watch his enemy's castle burn, and to take his head with his own sword, so he wasn't interested in whether his method for doing so was inefficient.

Lance marched forward, feeling nothing but exasperation towards Darren, but the situation had developed into one that made him exclaim: “So there was actually someone who's even more of a fool than Darren!”

His lieutenant, who had halted his own horse beside Lance's, looked at him.

“You don't mean me, do you?” he asked. “You can't mean me. I was just following orders. Who knew that the wind would change direction as we were halfway through setting fire to the forest? And to make things worse, my beautiful beard even got singed...”

“Yeah, you're a fool too, but in a different sense. The man I was talking about was Leo Attiel!”

He had seen through the prince's intentions: all he was doing was luring them away. That was it. Judging from Leo's battle formation, he didn't have the military strength to withstand a siege after inviting it on himself. Which meant that the prince wouldn't be getting help from Bernard either.

Yet despite that, Leo publicised the idea that Bernard had allied with him, and he deliberately set up camp in a conspicuous location. Because Lance had been wary of Bernard – who had never had the slightest intention of making a move – he had taken far too long to attack Leo's base. It really had been a complete waste of time. And on top of that, he had lost a portion of his men. Thinking about it infuriated him.

Up until then, he had thought of Leo as: ’’an opponent who is capable in warfare’’. But now, that hasty evaluation seemed absurd. Rather than being capable, Lord Leo's way of waging war was unconventional. Even now, when he had already seen through him, Lance found it hard to believe that Leo had used himself as bait to lure him in.

‘’In battle, it's checkmate once the 'king' is taken. Even if you have the upper hand, even if your formation is bound to win, it's all over once the 'leader' is taken. Having the 'leader' become a decoy is such a foolish idea.’’

Darren didn't know much about war, but the prince's behaviour was like that of a child. And Lance could feel his blood boil with anger from having been tricked by that childishness. He turned his horse around. His men hurriedly imitated him, but he drove his horse on alone, without waiting for them.

“Ha,” a feeling separate from his fury welled up inside him. “I've lost this fight, huh?”

Just like the prince, he was a man who could always see what lay ahead with calm detachment.

Another reason why Leo had set up camp in such a conspicuous location was to forcefully grab the attention of Darren's army, and so make it easier to send messengers to where Kuon had taken up position, west of the Dharam region. Since Darren was marching hurriedly, he had neither the time nor the number of soldiers to widen his surveillance net.

At first, Kuon had established his camp near the church, but following Leo's instructions, which had been brought to him by messenger, he had travelled north along the Old Highway, and had taken up position at a point where it intersected with the current highway.

By that time, they had been joined by the troop composed of the rest of the tribesmen, who had all of them – except for Sarah, their guide – travelled on foot. Adding them all together, however, they were only a little over a thousand; no more than half of Darren's forces.

When he received the report from his scouts, Darren believed that this must be the total number of troops that Savan could dispatch. Although there was the possibility that more soldiers might come to support them from behind, these would have to be taken from the castle's defence.

“What a brave bunch, to come and face us out on these plains. It looks like they've become overconfident after pushing back our advance unit,” he said to raise the morale of his troops.

For all that Lance considered him to be someone who did not understand war, Darren was still vigilant. He frequently sent out scouts while his troops advanced. Thanks to this, it was clear that no matter how you looked at it, there was nowhere where the enemy could conceal troops in ambush close to Darren’s battle formation, and there was no sign that further troops would join Savan's side.

I'm repeating myself, but time was precious for Darren; he needed to have things settled before the sovereign-prince interfered. So he increased the speed of their march.

A platoon from Savan's side came out to meet them to fight a defensive battle, but when they saw the enemy in the distance, they were forced to retreat. Darren's army advanced ever more arrogantly.

An unexpected attack was staged by night, but Darren had not been negligent. The would arrive at the enemy camp on the next day, so there was sure to be a large-scale battle, and they were increasingly at the ready.

The camp that Darren was fast approaching was, of course, Kuon's headquarters. Tactically speaking, the position there was completely useless, yet Darren was marching towards it. Which meant, of course, that he had been lured there.

On Leo's instructions, Kuon had gathered locals who were familiar with the area, and listened to their advice. He was able to infer which route the enemy would follow, and had its surroundings investigated in depth. And although Darren was not negligent, he did not notice: as he and his men steadily advanced, the enemy soldiers that they were supposed to have left behind them as they passed, or that they had driven away from their flanks, had circled around them and were now lurking in hiding.

The mountain tribe had always been good at battles that involved drawing the enemy to them. They knew how to retreat in unison, and how to kill in unison.

That night, the forest which should have been sleeping quietly was alive; villagers rushed out in a frenzy and saw clouds of dust billowing upwards from beyond the hills which should have been echoing with nothing but the cries of beasts .

Darren's various units were attacked from all sides. Seizing the opportunity, the five hundred soldiers that Savan had sent in reinforcement also made their move, lead by Kuon. It was exactly as though a pack of beasts which had been hiding in the night's shadows had opened their maws wide, and leaped out from all directions.

Leo had been the one to suggest this multi-directional attack, but he had gotten the idea from Lance Mazpotter's tactics, which made skilful use of the terrain. In fact, it was fortunate for Kuon and his group that Lance's unit was not present.

Communication between Darren's various platoons was cut off, and they were routed and forced to flee while barely understanding what had happened. The only ones that Kuon's group did not allow to escape was the central command – in other words, Darren's own unit – whose position they had inferred beforehand.

Kuon smashed into the headquarters with enough force to carve out an escape route all by himself, cutting down the spear-wielding defenders to make his way to Darren Actica. Even the commanding officers with strong ties to House Actica had already fled, and, rather than throw away their own lives, the hired mercenaries surrendered one after another.

Around the time the world was dyed in the colours of dawn, Darren had finally been chassed down to a deserted house in a village that showed no other sign of human life. He flicked the sleeves of the filthy clothes which had been abandoned in the building.

“You've got it wrong: I'm a villager from here. I don't know Darren. Go away, go somewhere else,” he screamed, but Kuon's men dragged him out.

When Kuon himself dismounted and walked towards him, Darren changed his attitude and snorted.

“I am Darren Actica. You foul messengers from hell! Tie me up with ropes, bind me with chains, do whatever you like. But don't think that you've won because of this. The gods – not that evil deity that Leo believes in, but the gods who watch from above all that humans do – see everything. Justice is on one side. And which side that is will soon be made clear in Tiwana Palace,” Darren shouted, his face covered in mud and hay.

He still had Oswell Taholin to back him, and he was sure that most of the vassal-lords would stand by him.

“When that time comes, you lowlifes will regret it. Leo is destined to end on the gallows sooner or later. And every last one of you, his followers, will burn at the stake! But it's alright, it's not too late yet. Join my side and...”

Darren continued to cry out, but Kuon drew the sword at his waist without saying a word, cut down the distance between them in an instant, and pierced Darren through the heart.

In that too, he was carrying out Lord Leo's instructions.

Darren Actica was dead.

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| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
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Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Chapter2

2018-06-17T08:48:49Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Chapter 2: Those who do, those who do not, and those who cannot take action== ===Part 1=== During that time, Leo Attiel had remained in Guinbar. This, of course, was beca..."

==Chapter 2: Those who do, those who do not, and those who cannot take action==

===Part 1===

During that time, Leo Attiel had remained in Guinbar. This, of course, was because he was wary of Darren Actica's movements. While staying at Savan's stronghold, Leo had repeatedly sent out scouts to the area around Darren's castle, Olt Rose. So far, even though the head of House Actica had gathered soldiers, there was no information that he had transferred them out of his keep.

A band of marauders, however, were being relentlessly active within Guinbar's territory, and Darren appeared to be the one behind that. To defend against them, Savan had sent soldiers to various points throughout his fief, and there were now only a thousand who were still stationed within Guinbar Castle. Moreover, although they had hurriedly hired about seven hundred mercenaries, the increase in numbers was not solely a good thing as, to start with, Guinbar did not currently have the financial assets to be able to properly feed several hundred soldiers.

Since they had to be cautious of what moves Darren would make, they had not recently been able to hold markets outside the castle walls. Given that this was the busiest season for the wool trade, that was a very hard blow. The merchants who had speculatively put up the funds for the trade fairs risked going bankrupt.

With every passing day, Guinbar was being slowly strangled and driven to the brink.

Leo suggested to Savan that they should build a fort to the east of the territory, in an area that was comparatively close to Olt Rose – since it was within the same country of Atall, there were no keeps or fortresses built at the borders between domains – and where a river would form a natural moat. Five hundred of the mercenaries were then transferred to this hurried construction.

All that Leo could do at the moment was go back and forth between the castle and the fort, checking the situation in each one. Despite the sense of impending crisis, he was bored. Since there was very little he could actually do, he was struck with an idea – ''Should I take a few people to Olt Rose to go see the look on Darren's face?'' That thought made him cheer up at once.

Immediately afterwards, though, he realised that – ''It's not realistic'', and became even gloomier than before.

If the thought had occurred to him in conversation with someone else, it would still have been bearable. If Percy had been there to laugh and say something like, “Your Highness, you really are still a child,” his feelings would have settled down thanks to not being alone.

But currently, there was no one of Leo's age for him to talk with. He had entrusted his Personal Guards to Percy and Camus, and sent them to Conscon Temple. Kuon and Sarah, on the other hand, had suddenly vanished from Guinbar.

He was all alone.

He had gone back to the time when he stood by himself in a corner during the banquet, while men and women in gorgeous clothing laughed cheerfully.

Of course, even when saying that he was alone, Leo was currently surrounded by guards that he had gathered from the villages and personally appointed, and they adored him because of it. But they were not advisers.

Speaking of which, among the Personal Guards, there had been a red-haired boy called Rhoda. Even compared to the other soldiers, his sense of veneration towards Leo had been conspicuously strong: the attitude with which he had served Leo was that of someone who seemed to believe that he would be blinded if he gazed directly upon Leo's majesty. Although Leo had been more embarrassed than pleased by it, he valued Rhoda's skills and diligent personality, and so he had appointed him as a close guard.

However, more than half a year ago, during the fight against Hayden, Leo had been severely short-staffed, and had no choice but to station the soldiers hired from the villages in all sorts of different places. Rhoda had also been pulled up from his usual unit, and his whereabouts were currently unknown.

''Did he lose his life on the battlefield, or did he earn a certain amount of glory, and go home with it to his native village?'' Leo suddenly wondered about the red-headed guard. But even then, only casually, and only once.

So what else did he think about?

Nothing. He didn't think about anything.

Or at any rate, it was the same as.

When he had nothing in particular to do and was all alone, Leo loitered around his room, contemplating this and that. But along the way, those thoughts turned to resentful bitterness towards Darren, who was just running after his own interests, without paying any attention to the wider trends of the time. Before long, Leo's father, the sovereign-prince, also became a target for his resentment.

Leo had met the king of Allion. He had also encountered Allion's crafty general, Hawking, and Dytiann's self-professed 'king', Mordin. All of them seemed to have blades in their hearts. And those kinds of people, who could move thousands or tens of thousands of troops with just a single word, were keeping a close watch on Atall from both east and west.

''And even so, a tiny country like Atall is being torn apart by tiny internal skirmishes, isn't it? And I'm having trouble with those trivial skirmishes, aren't I?''

At the end of the day, what irritated him the most was neither Darren nor Magrid, but his own powerlessness. And since he spent every day in that state, it was essentially the same as not thinking about anything at all.

When he got tired of walking around alone, Leo would sit down on his bed. At those times, he had the illusion that it was like he was sitting in another position, looking at his own exhausted face. That was something he was used to, as well.

''You're a mess, Lord Leo'' – he felt like jeering at himself with some of the words he had picked up from commoners – ''You defeated Hayden and established the Personal Guards. And just when you were getting happy about things going your way, it turns this is the best you can do. The King of Allion? Mordin? Did you seriously think you could compete with them as an equal? You're way better suited to having a hard time fighting small fry like Darren.''

“Shut up.”

''You haven't changed at all. You haven't achieved anything. To start with, you only put on airs without any resolve behind it.''

“I have resolve. I killed enemies with my own hands. I led allies to their deaths.”

''That's just child's play. Are you ready to kill a thousand allies to save ten thousand of the people? Or conversely, are you willing to abandon those ten thousand to their deaths in order to save a thousand allies that you absolutely need if you want to win?''

“I told you to shut up.”

''You want to change things? Then raise the wind. To raise that kind of wind, you need a huge fire. Fuel it by burning your own hair first. Then, before it burns out, stoke it by burning your own clothes. Then, one by one, offer it the lives of each of the soldiers who protect you. Your acquaintances... your family... your friends... thrown them in, in your order of preference. If you do, you might just be able to raise a gentle breeze.''

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Leo screamed, and fell backwards onto the bed.

Those days continued on, until one particular one.

The direction of the wind changed.

Oh no, it wasn't a large-scale event that showed immediate results. It was no more than a 'gentle breeze'.

Around about noon, there was a commotion at a watchtower built on the outside of Guinbar: a group of about three hundred was apparently approaching. The soldiers immediately put themselves on the alert but, upon closer inspection, it became clear that the group advancing towards them was flying the flag of the Cross Faith. Upon receiving the news, Leo went racing from the castle to personally greet them.

“Camus... Why are you here?”

It was a reasonable question. The one leading the group and holding the flag was Camus, the warrior monk from Conscon Temple. The young man whose clerical robes covered a muscle-bound frame was currently supposed to be assisting Neil, the temple's bishop. Besides, he had only just gone over there with the Personal Guards that Leo had entrusted him with.

“As per your orders, I had an air carrier departure point prepared at the temple, and set up an airship squadron, but, being worried about you, my lord, I have come rushing back.”

“I'm not a child!” The days of accumulated irritation made Leo flare up unintentionally. “And for a start, didn't I tell you not to move the Personal Guards? What will you do if my father hears of this? I'd only just sent them to the temple so that he wouldn't be able to come up with some pretext or another, and remove them from me.”

“If I may humbly say,” Camus spoke up to explain. – The three hundred he was heading were not from the Personal Guards. Instead, they were all warrior monks.

“Since they are monks from the temple, which is an allied power to Atall, Lord Magrid has no authority to interfere with them. Oh, please don't look down on them for being no more than three hundred. Every one of them is the same as me: a valiant warrior who has offered his body and soul to God, and who cares not about risking his life.”

Leo gaped, half stunned. Then, he burst out laughing. While clapping Camus on the shoulders, he felt something hot, like tears, welling up within him. The loneliness he had experienced in those past days had been so very heavy and deep that even he found it strange.

About half a month ago, at Conscon Temple, while Leo had been sinking deeper and deeper into depression all by himself, both Percy and Camus had been experiencing the same thing at the temple. Leo had only just been defeated after attempting to invade Darren's territory and his reputation had plummeted around the outskirts of the capital, whereas Darren Actica's influence seemed to have inversely increased.

What move would he make? And how about Sovereign-Prince Magrid and the other vassal-lords? No, even as they stayed here at the temple, their ears filled with the prayers of monks and nuns, who knew if Darren wasn't moving his troops to attack Guinbar? At those thoughts, their youthful blood simply could not settle down.

Just as the prince had ordered them to, the two of them had prepared a space for an air carrier departure point, had travelled to an even further country to buy airships, and had trained the young soldiers. At the same time, in an effort to try and erase at least a little of his own worry, Percy Leegan wrote a letter to one of the vassal- lords.

Specifically, to Gimlé Gloucester.

He was an aristocratic vassal-lord whose domain was in the southeast of the Principality of Atall, and he would one day become Percy's father-in-law, since Percy was engaged to Gimlé's daughter, Liana Gloucester. The two men had not seen each other, however, since the banquet held in Hayden's honour. To be more honest, the truth was that they did not get on very well, but right now, Percy needed him as ally even if it meant ignoring his personal feelings.

He wrote to ask him to help Lord Leo. The world misunderstood him, believing that the prince had been lured by Savan into invading Darren's territory, despite not having any personal ill-will towards Darren. Percy wrote down the facts about how Darren had used armed force because he coveted Savan's stone quarry, and emphasised the point that the prince's actions were all done with the future of the country in mind.

Since he was the father of his fiancée, Percy had some understanding of Gimlé's personality. Although he could be pig-headed, Percy saw him as someone who was certainly not deaf to reason, and compared to Darren – who was a concentrated mass of self-interest – or people like Bernard and Tokamakk – who preferred to sit on the fence – Gimlé had at least a little bit of the backbone that should be expected from an Atallese noble.

When he looked over the words he had written, Percy blushed. His words had been too vehement. It was exactly like the exaggerated language of a young child passionately telling the grown-ups that those nasty other boys had stolen his playground. Percy calmed himself down, and revised the contents.

And so, the letter he sent to Gimlé's territory was one that he had written and rewritten over and over again, but no matter how long he waited, he did not receive a reply. Percy passed beyond disappointment, and was seized with anger. In that sense, he was a lot like Leo was at the same moment. Even though he wanted to yell at him about how he, Lord Gimlé, also liked sitting on the fence after all, the brunt of Percy's anger was turned towards himself for having gone running to his fiancée's father.

While he spent his days like that, unable to calm down, a man who was in the same situation as him, and who was far less patient that Percy, took action. That man was Camus.

“I'm going to gather volunteers from among the warrior monks, and head back to Lord Leo,” he had declared.

That alone was surprising enough, but when he learned that more than two hundred young men had already volunteered, Percy was left completely amazed.

Leo Attiel was the saviour who had rescued Conscon Temple from ruin, and the hero who had defeated Allion. So naturally, once they heard that he was in trouble, there were many people who were ready to pick up their spears and announce that: “This time, it's our turn to help him.” But even so, this was really fast.

On top of that, Camus had decreed that: “This isn't enough yet,” and was going to also gather men from the Personal Guards, which was completely illogical. Wasn't he assembling warrior monks because he couldn't move the Guards? When Percy pointed this out, Camus shook his head.

“All of the soldiers gathered have received God's baptism. Since they've become novices, they're now warrior monks of Conscon Temple. Not Personal Guards.”

He said it so off-handily that Percy's mouth hung open.

''And this is the man who was pulling such a sour face when the prince talked about getting baptised back then... Going on about how the prince hadn't actually been won over by the divine teachings, and how he was only using the appearance of a believer in the Cross Faith for his own ends... Aren't you doing the exact same thing this time around!''

Reading Percy's expression, Camus puffed out his brawny chest.

“These men have volunteered to go help Lord Leo even at the risk of their own lives. And the prince has accepted God's teachings, and is helping spread them throughout Atall. Since they're anxious about saving a lord who is doing so much for the Cross Faith, these men are qualified to count among the faithful,” he declared.

Since his words were that smooth, and given that this was Camus, there was absolutely no doubt that he had been inwardly conflicted. Which was why he had thought up this excuse, with which he was trying to convince not only others, but also himself.

Camus prepared to set off once a full three hundred had been assembled. Besides the reinforcement in terms of soldiers, they had also dismantled one of the airships used for training, and would carry it with them. One of the Personal Guards who had been appointed as a “warrior monk” had shown the makings of a skilled pilot during the training drills.

“It's only one aircraft, but the prince will definitely be happy when he sees the results of work with his own eyes,” Camus had said.

Up until just a few days earlier, he had been as gloomy as Percy was, and there had been a permanent crease between his eyebrows. Yet now that he was planning to leave the temple, his expression was bright and he seemed to be walking on air. Camus had always been a man who got livelier when he had something to do as opposed to just staying somewhere silent and still, but when he saw him in such high spirits, Percy for some reason felt extremely unhappy, and instinctively started to detain him.

“Camus, wait. I wasn't the only one left in charge of the Personal Guards: His Highness gave you the same order.”

“I'm leaving that to you.”

“And the training for the airship unit?”

“That too.”

“Don't just say whatever you feel like. If you go and take three hundred soldiers at your own whim, all you'll get from the prince is criticism.”

“Then, are you telling me to just stay here quietly? I can't do it. Rather than sit and wait for ruin, I chose to walk out on the battlefield myself.”

“Those are bold words, Camus. But you're not saying them because you're strong, but because you're weak,” Percy unintentionally hardened his tone.

“What are you...?” Camus opened his eyes wide as Percy continued to verbally lash out:

“Isn't that right? The orders we received from the prince were to secretly establish an air force squadron and train it into something usable, yet you're saying that obeying them is 'sitting waiting for ruin'. That proves that you don't understand the prince's thoughts. You simply can't even stand your own uneasiness. You're only taking action to satisfy yourself, not for anyone else's sake. How is that not weakness? Your physical strength and your words are both very fine, but apart from that, you're nothing but a coward.”

Camus blinked, then every muscle in his body heaved.

''Ah, that's...'' Percy suddenly came back to his senses.

Although he had undeniably meant what he said, he had chosen the wrong time and place to say it – and the wrong person to say it to. He was aware that he had been too emotional, and so he braced himself, steadying his neck and gritting his teeth, expecting a punch to come flying his way. After taking a deep breath, however, Camus relaxed his own tensed-up frame.

“You're probably right,” he said. “But everyone has their strong points and their weaknesses. You're better qualified to carry out the prince's orders this time. I can only do what I can to help support him. So then...”

Camus left the the temple with the three hundred men he had already assembled.

Percy sighed as he watched them disappear from sight. He had harshly lectured Camus like an adult telling off a child, but in the end, it was Camus who had taken the more mature attitude.

''I'm jealous of how he can be so upfront in everything he does.''

At that point, someone came up to stand next to Percy.

It was Bishop Neil.

The man who now managed the temple in replacement of Bishop Rogress was still quite young.

“Has Camus left?”

The bishop craned his neck as he stood beside Percy, but Camus really had moved fast. He and his men had already passed through the main gate, and they could no longer be seen.

“Did you authorise Camus' actions, Bishop?”

“The prince is an irreplaceable man for our temple. I have no reason to prevent someone from going to help him. All will be in accordance with God's will.”

“...”

Percy wasn't particularly interested, but he felt that it would be rude to leave almost without saying anything, so he gave his thanks for allowing the soldiers to stay at the temple. It was supposed to be nothing more than idle small talk, but Neil then said something unexpected.

“I don't mind in the slightest. However, Sir Percy... During your stay at the temple, you might hear a deeply unpleasant rumour involving the people of Atall.”

“A rumour?” Percy drew his brows together.

“Aye,” Bishop Neil gave a nod. “A rumour that Bishop Rogress did not commit suicide, but that he was killed by someone.”

Percy responded with a simple: “Oh”. His face was wiped clear of any expression. “It's certainly not the kind of rumour that you can simply ignore, but... well, I don't see how it has any direct connection to those of us from Atall.”

“There is more to that rumour,” Neil's honest-looking face was equally expressionless. “During the battle, the bishop remained in the Inner Sanctum since there was a high chance that spies from Allion had slipped into the temple, the bishop's life was in danger, which is why Atall's brave soldiers closely guarded the sanctum. Not even a puppy could have gone in or out.”

“Indeed.”

“In other words, only the Atallese soldiers could approach the Inner Sanctum. And so, for those who say that the bishop did not kill himself, but died at another's hands, the logical conclusion is that those hands belonged to someone from Atall. That's the kind of plausible-sounding rumour which is currently being whispered around. It's utterly deplorable. Even though things have finally settled down in this land, and just when peace has returned, there are fools going around killing time by spreading this nonsense. I've heard there are even some impious monks who are joining in. I intend to severely rebuke them, so please do not take it to heart.”

“I understand.”

As Percy smiled cheerfully, Bishop Neil's blue eyes gazed at him intently.

===Part 2===

The wind had changed direction – and Camus' arrival was not the only proof of that.

Around about that time, Sovereign-Prince Magrid of Atall sent messengers to both Leo and Darren. The reason behind it was to investigate the circumstances which had led Lord Leo to invade Dharam, Darren's territory.

The envoy who came to see Leo was none other than Stark Barsley. Officially, this man who served Leo's father – and who had served ''his'' father before him – was there to “hear Leo's side of the story,” but, in reality, the sovereign-prince had asked him to keep on eye on his son for a while. The idea was, essentially, to make sure that Leo didn't do anything he shouldn't again.

Stark had readily agreed to the request. The way he saw it, Leo was – ''Interesting''. He had, of course, been surprised when Leo had invaded Dharam through force of arms, and he could see why Magrid, Leo's father and sovereign, saw his son as dangerous. But at the same time, Stark had a certain presentiment:

''Lord Leo is young. And he fully embodies both the best and the worst points of youth. If there could be someone by his side who was able to hold back those worst points and encourage the best ones, the prince might well become someone whose name will go down in history.''

Even so, his feelings were, at most, that Leo was 'interesting'. He did not feel any urge for that 'someone' who would guide Leo to be him. Stark was content to remain detached from the world, and had left behind him his youth, in which he would have gone running to the scene of any excitement.

Meanwhile, Leo, the one receiving the envoy, did not believe the official reason given for Stark being sent over to him. His father talked about 'investigating the circumstances,' but the sovereign-prince couldn't care less about the truth, and while he would be fair and impartial by giving both parties a chance to explain themselves, that fairness would only extend to the hearing. The most likely outcome would be that, after a short while, he would give a light punishment to both Leo and Darren.

''I won't let it end like that'' – Leo was determined about that, however, and Darren probably thought the same way. Leo intended instead to make use of this opportunity. With the sovereign-prince ostensibly taking action to arbitrate the dispute, not even Darren would be able to move troops while the envoys were present.

Leo and Savan met together and decided that, first of all, they would open a market five days after Stark's arrival.

The place chosen for it was the church, which was to the east of Guinbar Castle, at a distance of two days' ride along the old highway. This was the base for the Cross Faith that Leo was having Savan build. Although the road leading to it was known as the 'old highway', it had been repaired and maintained to allow the movement of people and goods which had been steadily increasing ever since the construction of the church had begun. Buildings that served both as relay inns and barracks for the highway guards had been built at several points along the road.

Nowadays, it was every bit as busy as the main roads. Thanks to that, the market there would be able to attract every kind of business, and allow the fief to replenish its dwindling funds.

During that time, Leo would be away from Guinbar. He intended to take action while Darren's movements were blocked. The future certainly didn't suddenly seem bright, but at least this was far better than constantly turning around in circles.

“I will definitely return with help at hand,” Leo promised when Savan Roux came to see him off, then rode away.

Hurrying along the Old Highway soon brought him within sight of the church.

When the building work had first begun, there had only been lodgings for the stonemasons and other skilled craftsmen, the labourers and the various other people who actually took part in the work. Now, however, swarms of merchants and prostitutes had descended on the area, intent on snatching away even only a small portion of the workers' daily wages, and there were any number of buildings where you could eat or drink, or where women beckoned to the men to join them.

When people came from the outside, inns would be built; where people gathered in large numbers, soldiers would make the rounds; and where there was a certain degree of public security, people would start settling in the area to plough fields. Cases of towns and villages appearing in that way were not rare back in those days, and Conscon Temple was another example of it.

At this point, the settlement around Guinbar Church had grown into a village that was not a small one. Since night had already fallen, Leo went straight to the monastery where he would be staying, which was attached to the chapel. However, people having realised that: “The prince is here,” they streamed out into the street and gathered by the church, carrying products from the shops, produce from the fields, or casks of wine. There were even some who killed what very little livestock they had for Leo's sake.

Since such a large crowd had come out, Lord Leo personally appeared before them to respond to their warm reception. Bishop Bosc, the representative of Guinbar Church and a central figure in the 'Church Council of Atall', which was currently being established, threw open the garden of the monastery, and allowed the crowd inside.

Fires were hastily lit to cook the ingredients that people had brought, then the food was carried to the tables that the monks had hurriedly set up. It spontaneously turned into a small banquet. The liquor served was only watered down wine, but the smile never left the face of even a single one of those gathered there, while the monks and nuns peered restlessly through the monastery windows, before retreating from sight.

The prince's reputation had been hugely damaged by the invasion of Dharam, but he could boast of being tremendously trusted and popular throughout all of Savan's domains, and especially in the area surrounding the church, which was being built on his own suggestion.

Faced with recent events, the accepted explanation in the territory was that: “The lord prince went to punish Darren, that cur, for trying to attack Lord Savan.” And because of it, there were many voices that were sympathetic towards him, and which talked about looking forward to what he would do next.

At the end of the feast, a woman who was still young led her daughter by the hand towards Leo. The child was perhaps six or seven years old. Bosc beckoned the woman, who quietly approached Leo.

“I'm sorry, Lord Prince. Even though she was already tucked up in bed, when she heard that you were here, this child begged to come and see you, even just for a little while.”

The woman was apparently from one of the neighbouring villages. When Darren had sent out marauders to snatch away the nearby quarry, her hot-blooded husband had gotten into a fight with them, and had been killed somewhere in secret. For a while, she had shut herself away in her parents' house, but when the church had started being built on Leo's suggestion, she had found comfort in the teachings of the Cross Faith, and had moved to this area with her daughter.

When the little girl with a face full of freckles walked up to Leo, she straightened her back as much as she could. She tried to say hello, but ended up mumbling and being unable to speak clearly. Just as she looked like she was about to burst into tears because of it, Leo gently patted her shoulder and gave her a smile.The child's face changed completely, going from being close to tears to beaming with joy, and the people around them also smiled at the scene.

Leo intended to leave early the next morning. After yesterday's commotion, he was afraid that if he went out when the sun was already high in the sky, it would draw a crowd again.

The people who were out and about early all stopped whatever work they were doing, and watched Leo's group ride off along the road. “Prince!” When some of them unthinkingly shouted out loud, Leo raised a finger to his smiling lips, as though to tell them to hush, and it was as though those people now shared a secret with him; they blushed with pride and bowed as he went past.

The armoured group rode on unimpeded but, when they had almost reached the edge of the settlement, Leo himself suddenly chose to dismount. The mother and daughter from the previous evening were standing discreetly by a fence. The mother bowed her head, “we aren't worthy,” written all over her face.

“We only intended to watch you leave from a distance without bothering you...”

Despite what her mother said, the daughter seemed to have decided from the very start to have an audience with the prince and, while her mother had not yet finished giving her greetings, the little girl drew up to Leo so quickly that Camus, acting as guard, caught his breath. She held up something that she was holding in her arms.

It was a doll. Although, with that said, it was really no more than rough pieces of cloth sewn together into a shape that was just barely recognisable as human. It probably wasn't something which had been brought, but rather something that the girl had made herself. On its chest, there was a decoration that seemed to be in the shape of a cross, so it looked like this had been modelled on Lord Leo Attiel himself. Threads were coming loose all over it, and the limbs looked like they would come off if it was treated roughly, so Leo handled it very carefully as he lifted it to line it up against his own face.
[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_085.png|thumb]]
When he set off again, it was to the sight of the little girl's face, smiling fit to burst.

His group's destination was the main castle belonging to Bernard, one of the vassal-lords. Dharam, the land that Darren governed, lay in the middle of their way, so after leaving the church, and so as not to attract attention, the troop of three hundred split into several parties which entered Bernard's domain one after another, even though it meant slowing down their progress.

Leo, Camus and a few others made a detour of several days, avoiding the highway, so as to cross through the south of Dharam, after which, they joined up with a large group in one of the towns in Bernard's territory. A party of about twenty, however, deliberately crossed straight into the Dharam district, and remained there. They were disguised as merchants, and their role was to gather information while trading in the towns and villages.

Lord Leo had a difficult time travelling, but Stark Barsley, who was supposed to be visiting Guinbar to 'investigate the circumstances', had a carriage prepared for himself and was carried along the highway in grand style, following after Leo.

Since he wasn't particularly trying to hide his visit to Bernard, Leo didn't really mind but, at the same time, he had no idea what this retired, former-retainer was actually thinking. Still, given that Stark didn't look like he planned to make any special fuss or get in his way, the prince let him follow along.

He had sent a letter to Bernard beforehand, and the vassal-lord put on a show of receiving him. At that banquet, back then, he himself had invited the prince, after all.

His wife and daughter both belonged to the Cross Faith, and they rivalled the mother and daughter that Leo had met at the church in that, ever since first meeting him, they had treated him as though he was an envoy of God. Their cheeks flushed, they did everything they could to give him the warmest of welcomes.

Bernard didn't feel the slightest ill-will or dislike towards the prince, but there was no denying that right then and there, he saw him as a pest. He probably also had an inkling about what Leo's business with him was.

“Please don't be so stiff, Bernard,” the prince decided to tread carefully, and started by trying to mollify Bernard's feelings by laughing off his fears. “No matter what, I won't give you any high-handed orders like 'lend me some soldiers'. Even I'm not planning on immediately marching off to attack Olt Rose again.”

When the two of them were alone, he changed his tone.

“Darren is definitely scheming to attack Guinbar soon. Father probably won't be able to stop him.”

“Is that so?” Bernard's words were, of course, far more cautious than Leo's.

The prince nodded firmly.

“If you want proof, Darren is recruiting soldiers within his territory. Actually, he's been gathering weapons for a while now. If I hadn't moved in to attack Olt Rose back then...”

...'I would have been killed instead' was what Leo had been about to say, but he forced himself to hold it back. There had been plenty of arguments about what the truth of this matter, and Leo was aware that they had left him looking in the wrong, so what he wanted to avoid at all cost was making it seem like he had acted out on his emotions at the time.

“...Darren would have set Guinbar Castle alight. What I did has only helped postpone things.”

“It's perfectly normal for Lord Darren to be gathering soldiers,” Bernard's expression remained unyielding. “After all, Your Highness, you have only just invaded his lands. On top of that, and from what I hear, his second son, Lord Dingo, was seriously wounded. Although you no longer have the Personal Guards close at hand, it's highly possible that next time, it might be Lord Savan's soldiers which advance on Dharam... or at any rate, Lord Darren will use that kind of explanation to justify reinforcing his military strength.”

Bernard was not a coward, but it was clear that he had no wish to take part in a fight that would be of no benefit to him. If Leo had been the eldest son, promised to become the next sovereign-prince, then Bernard's attitude might have been a little different, but Leo was the second-born, and there were rumours that the current ruler, Magrid, was not best pleased with his enthusiasm for taking action.

In short, there was no advantage to joining up with this prince.

Leo saw Allion and Dytiann as two huge, slavering beasts, and believed that the only way to defend against them was to unite the entire country. The others, however, had never shared his sense of looming crisis; since life had always been relatively peaceful up until then, their vague image of the future was based on their unfounded belief that tomorrow would surely be just as tranquil as today.

He desperately wanted to denounce them in ringing words – not just Bernard, but all of the vassal-lords and other nobles. But it would be utterly stupid to make an enemy here when he had originally come looking for an ally. Leo struggled to suppress his emotions.

“I said a while back that I wasn't going to ask you to lend me any soldiers. However, I would just like you to prepare and gather them in your castle town. When Darren starts his military manoeuvres, have them raise their flags and threaten Olt Rose from the rear. That's all – you don't need to fight. I won't bring the battle to your territory. So please, Bernard...”

In the end, his words turned to pleading.

“If it's just that...” Bernard replied with obvious reluctance. “Still, I don't have enough regular soldiers – since I've only just sent them to you, my lord, for the Personal Guards. I'll give my retainers the order to call up levies in the villages. But naturally, that means that I can't say how long it will take to gather them up.”

As I mentioned earlier, when Lord Leo heard that the sovereign-prince had despatched an envoy to Darren, he anticipated that the vassal-lord would not be able to take action, and so made his own moves. He opened a market in Guinbar. He took his time to cross Dharam, then took it again to try and persuade Bernard.

Yet Leo was to regret all of it.

Darren Actica used the envoy who had been sent to him to set his own plans in motion.

===Part 3===

It was night and pouring with rain when a courier arrived, riding fast, at Bernard's castle. It was one of the warrior monks that Leo had left in Dharam. Dripping wet from head to toe, he cried out,

“Lord Actica is attacking Guinbar!”

Bernard immediately sent the news to Leo, who had already retired to his room. Leo leapt to his feet, closely followed by Camus.

“It must be some kind of mistake.” As Leo left his room, he was praying: ''Please let it be a mistake.''

To start with, Darren shouldn't be able to take action now. In any event, Leo decided to get the details from the warrior monk. And as he listened, he felt aghast.

At the outset, Darren had gone to meet the sovereign-prince's envoy not in the town by Olt Rose, but in a village near the castle. It so happened that on that day, there was a holiday which was celebrated in that area, in honour of the resurrection of the goddess of the harvest.

Since it was not related to the main faith of the Principality of Atall, Darren did not allow the festival to be celebrated in the main castle town but, beyond that, he did not try to take away the people's enjoyment of it. In fact, he had the habit of going with his retainers, all of them dressed up as farmers, huntsmen or fomer knights, and travelling around the villages to enjoy the festivities himself.

That day, he took the envoy and several retainers to one of the villages. And there, they were attacked. A group on warhorses suddenly appeared, setting the houses on fire with the torches they held in hand.

With helmets on their heads, they lunged out at the fleeing populace with their swords, spears and bows, amassing piles of corpses all around them.

Soldiers soon dealt with extinguishing the fires in the village but, by then, some two hundred lives had already been lost.

“What is this?” Darren bit his lip, his face just as ashen as the envoy's. “This is definitely Savan's doing. He's had his soul stolen by the Cross Faith, and can't bear the existence of any other god. If you add to that his despicable, single-minded hatred of House Actica, then of course he ended up resorting to this kind of violence.”

Darren brought the quivering envoy to his own carriage, and ordered the coachman to “protect him on the way to Olt Rose.”

“W-What about you, Lord Actica?” asked the envoy, and Darren flapped the overly-large cape he wore as a disguise.

“Savan is building a church, and acts as though he alone in all Atall is under divine protection. But know this well: the god he worships – that he alone reveres – is an evil god. Repulsive, cunning and strong. But as long as he lives on this earth, this isn't a problem about gods. This is an issue involving we living, breathing humans. Even if he worships an evil being, and even if receives dark powers from it, we will take our blades in our hands to resist against it, and use them to pierce through his own flesh. I'll make Savan realise that!” he declared.

― Or so the story went.

“What a joke,” Leo spat out after listening to the warrior monk's report. He bit back his voice as much as he could, but he could not entirely hide his emotions, and his cheeks were shaking from them. “Was that bastard so desperate to attack Guinbar that he had to torch the very people he was supposed to protect? And he dared do it in front of the very messenger sent by the sovereign-prince!”

It was probably as Leo had guessed. Darren had made use of the envoys presence, and had his own subordinates attack the area that he had taken him to visit. And in order to make that attack seem real, he had sacrificed the people of his fief.
“That bastard...” Camus' hand trembled with rage as he grasped the crucifix at his chest. “An 'evil god'? He's one to speak. Your Highness, that ''creature'' is an enemy to anyone of the faith... to the people of Atall... to all of humanity!”

The reports didn't stop there. Messengers came flying to Leo's side one after another. Every time a new piece of information became known, yet another messenger was sent from Dharam, up until the final report, which arrived in the early morning.

Leo had passed beyond anger, and had now gone as far as to feel fear. He heard that when Darren had first set out, right after the village had been attacked, he had only taken with him the few troops stationed at Olt Rose. If you added the soldiers who served as his guards, they did not amount to more than three hundred men. Yet the closer they got to Guinbar, the more their numbers swelled, until finally they grew into a force of more than two thousand.

Cavalrymen, infantrymen, bowmen, riflemen... the balance was flawless. It was obvious that Darren had prepared his troops beforehand, and had allotted them to areas throughout his domains. When Leo had first learned that Darren was on the move, he had given orders to have fast horses saddled and was going to set off immediately for Guinbar, but the situation had changed far faster than he had expected, and had escalated into something huge.

This was the day when the market would open by the church. Darren would probably attack it as a first step.

Savan would have no way to predict the event, and so his soldiers would be too late when they set out. Or perhaps, since it was obvious that any soldiers he sent out would be pushed back, he might make the conscious choice of abandoning the church. If he did, Leo would not be able to blame him; Savan Roux had a duty to protect the greater number of people in his fief.

Yet Leo Attiel could not remain rational. He had the impression that everything had turned black, and that the darkness was striking him from all sides. He almost fell to his knees.

“Camus... the horses,” Leo gave the order almost unconsciously. His raspy voice sounded like it was being squeeze out from a crack in his throat. “What are you doing? Hurry with the horses. We're going to Guinbar at once!”

“You cannot, Prince.”

Although Camus was about to hurriedly agree, he was stopped by both Stark, who had come flying out of bed that night when he heard the news, and Bernard, who had been watching the whole thing unfold.

“What do you mean, I can't?” Leo demanded loudly while shaking off their hands. “Oh, righ; Bernard, how about your soldiers? Have you gathered plenty? Then, they could go together to Guinbar with... no, we don't need to go that far. First is Dharam. We'll do what he did and torch the villages there. Once he knows that his lands are being burned, he'll be forced to go back. Do it right now!”

“Prince, you cannot,” Stark's voice was every bit as loud as Leo's own.

Leo glared at Stark and Bernard as though he was looking at Darren himself.

“They what are you saying I should do!” He screamed, sounding as if he was about to stamp his foot at any moment. “Haven't things ended up exactly as I said they would? Isn't that right, Bernard? Why couldn't you react sooner to what I said would happen? It's not too late yet! But even so, you won't make a single move, either of you! If you're not going to do anything, at least don't get in the way. Yes, yes, I know; I wouldn't do anything like setting Dharam on fire. I would never become a man like Darren. We're going to Guinbar!”

“I am telling you that you cannot, Prince,” Stark would not back down either. “If what you said is true, Prince, then Darren has already plotted to have you killed before now. What if his soldiers find you along the way? And even if you somehow manage to make it to Guinbar, what will you when you get there?”

“Camus, what are you doing? Horses. Also, armour and...”

“''Leo''!” Stark's furious voice crashed down on him.

Leo was startled into remaining paralysed. He looked as defenceless as a young child who had been unfairly scolded by his father.

“Did you say 'we'? Certainly, if Your Highness gives a direct order, then, just like Camus over there, there will be many who will gladly go, even though they know they are heading to their deaths. Because they have entrusted their lives to you. Which also means that, yes, of course, you can choose to toss their lives into a waste bin. And that is what you are doing right now.”

“...”

“You look like you want to say: 'But I'm going too.' That too is something you cannot do. If you say that you will go no matter what, then the retainers cannot stay behind. That is true for me, and also for Bernard. And Darren would kill us too. Your Highness, your position as Lord Leo Attiel now means that you will never again be left to act alone. You cannot be left to die alone. That is the fate you received from the gods on the day you were born and received the name 'Attiel', and it is one that you can never escape from.”

Stark's words pierced through Leo's flesh. As he reeled from them, his back hit the wall, and he slowly slid until he was sitting on the ground.

He understood that his actions – no, that his very existence as 'Leo Attiel' – carried the weight of responsibility. Back when he had fought Hayden, so many of the militiamen had given up their lives to form a wall a wall for him, and to allow him to escape alone. Even now, he could not forget that scene.

“Yeah... yes, you're right, Stark. That's right. Your words are true. But then... what can I do? What should I do?”

“Although Your Highness was always warning us, we did not heed your words, and allowed this situation to develop. It is a disgrace for us too,” Stark suddenly crouched down. “Please grant us the opportunity to redeem ourselves, and allow us to take care of this. We will send messengers to Tiwana. I myself will also leave for the capital at once. I will explain the situation to the sovereign-prince, and tell him that we must stop Darren, even if it means assembling an army.”

''Too late...'' Leo spoke to himself in a small voice, his back still against the wall.

Stark called someone at once and started to write the letter that he and Bernard would be jointly signing, yet while that was going on, Leo could only stare up at the ceiling that was still dark and dimly-lit.

''Not in time...'' By the time the sovereign-prince took action, all of Guinbar would already have fallen in flames.

The church... the marketplace. It would be bustling with people doing business. In the tents and at the tables, vendors and buyors would be laughing boisterously, and bargaining hard behind the smiles. Leo had heard from the merchants' guards that when the haggling got too fierce, vendors would break out alcohol to try and ease negotiations. There would also be food carts lined up along the market. He could picture the sight of children, pestering their parents for freshly baked pies and sweets.

Leo took the doll out from his trouser pocket, where he had left it. The simple buttons that had been used for the eyes and nose were already coming off. Would that mother and daughter also be at the market? The little girl had been tongue-tied in front of Leo, but to get her mother to buy her sweets, would she do her very best to bring out all the words and persuasion she could manage, bargaining hard in her own way? – “I'll help you a whole lot. I'll go and draw water from the river even in winter. I'll do the laundry and the cleaning. So please...” – She would definitely be cajoling her mother like that.

They would be attacked. They would be surrounded by flames. Scores of people would die at the market which had been set up on Leo's orders. The church would also be destroyed. “Burn down the evil god's dwelling!” – an image of Darren on horseback flashed through his mind.

Pain struck Leo like a blow. The blood vessels in his temples pounded, and his head throbbed. He felt sick to the stomach.

Where was Darren now? Had he already arrived at Guinbar's market? Or not yet? Or was he already standing next to a pile of corpses, made up of men and women, young and old?

“Damn it,” Leo cried.

Camus, who had been left with nothing to do, turned around, startled and with his face flushing red.

“Shit!”

Leo punched his fist into the wall. And repeated that action again and again.

Darren Actica had pretended to be attacked. That was how he would defend himself to the sovereign-prince. Leo remembered how he himself had pleaded his cause in the same way, resisting Darren with everything he had.

Then what would Sovereign-Prince Magrid say?

It was already decided, anyway.

“I will investigate, so neither of you are to take any kind of action.”

And after that, he wouldn't do anything. The vassal-lords would fall in line with Darren and Magrid.

No doubt about it.

And then, all of them together, would blame everything on Leo. He's dangerous, he'll bring the fires of war to the country... no, one day, he'll destroy the country himself – they would all agree...

“Damn it!” Leo felt like he was going mad.

Bernard's wife, who had gotten up and heard of the situation, was worried about the prince and tried to get him to have breakfast, but Leo wouldn't go with her.

“Leave me alone!” Having even raised his voice against Bernard's wife and child, Leo buried his head in his knees, and sank entirely into his own thoughts.

He couldn't just stay here doing nothing. He couldn't bear it. At the very least...

''Right, should I write to Savan and urge him to surrender? Fighting Darren now is hopeless. No – Darren wants to prove above all else that he is more powerful than the House of the sovereign-princes. Then, how about if I go to Darren's camp myself and surrender?''

Earlier, Stark had said that Leo might be killed if he was found by Darren's soldiers, but that was only because he was an obstacle to the head of House Actica. If he made it clear that he was personally going right up to Darren's encampment, then he would instead transform into a proof of Darren's power – basically, his existence would have some worth in Darren's eyes.

Leo hated himself for being able to think, almost calmly, about what would happen after the church's surroundings were torched. But even though he was disgusted with himself, he also believed that this was better than not doing anything.
Time passed, and noon was already approaching. Yet the sky was still carrying traces of yesterday's rain and was covered in dark clouds, which cast their gloom over the entire area.

Leo sluggishly started to get to his feet. Defeat had cast a dark shadow over his face, and his still childish features seemed to have aged all at once. Camus watched him with concern, and was about to call out to him but, right then, the door leading into the room burst open, and a wind swept in. In the next second, a soldier almost came racing in, almost tumbling in his haste.

''Again?'' Leo thought hazily. ''Is this'' more ''bad news?''

Every possible disaster had already happened. Nothing could surprise him now. Nothing could make him despair any further.

Yet even though he had made up his mind to that, when the soldier rushed to kneel before him, the news he brought was utterly unexpected.

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| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
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Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-06-17T08:47:52Z

Renuac: /* Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* June 8, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 1
* June 1, 2018 - volume 3 complete
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue - chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface - chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

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=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
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=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
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=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Child of the Land]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
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=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Duellists]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Those who do, those who do not, and those who cannot take action]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Wolf and Fox]]
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<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-06-08T16:46:42Z

Renuac: /* Updates */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* June 8, 2018 - volume 4 chapter 1
* June 1, 2018 - volume 3 complete
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue - chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface - chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

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=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
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=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
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|}

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=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Child of the Land]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
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=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Duellists]]
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<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Chapter1

2018-06-08T16:44:25Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Chapter 1: The Duellists== ===Part 1=== ''By Tei Tahra's guidance, Kuon the fugitive has returned to the mountains.'' No sooner had that rumour flown round the village t..."

==Chapter 1: The Duellists==

===Part 1===

''By Tei Tahra's guidance, Kuon the fugitive has returned to the mountains.''

No sooner had that rumour flown round the village than another one swiftly started to spread.

''Kuon wants to overturn the Chief's decision, so he's going to fight a duel with Warrior Raga.''

The normally quiet atmosphere within the mountains was as noisy as thought they had suddenly been attacked by an entire enemy division.

Whenever anyone maintained their opposition to a decision from the chief, that person had no choice but to fight Warrior Raga in a duel, and win. Said otherwise, Raga was duty-bound to accept duels, but it wasn't something that happened very often. Most of the tribe lived their entire life in the mountains where they had been born, but even then, they might see it at most once or twice in their entire lifetime.

Moreover, his opponent was Kuon.

The 'unwanted child' whose contaminated blood had not received Tei Tahra's divine protection, the one who had ensnared then murdered Datta Wei, even though Datta had helped look after him – in other words, a 'betrayer' who was possessed by evil spirits, and a fugitive who had fled from the mountain before those spirits could be cleansed.

“Why is Kuon fighting Raga instead of being thrown to the fire?”

People were understandably puzzled. Nothing but death awaited a 'betrayer'. Those who were inhabited by evil spirits were usually killed by the youths who had only just reached adulthood, during their coming-of-age ceremony, and their corpse was burned in the sacred flames lit by the priestesses and shamans.

Such were the customs, lifestyle and laws of the people who lived in these mountains, which others did not approach.

“According to Mistress Mist, Tei Tahra's divine voice hasn't passed judgement on Kuon yet.”

“And also, Kuon seems to have brought a woman from a country called Atall with him. That woman asked the chief to lend them our military strength.”

“That's ridiculous. We don't belong to Atall here.”

“That woman also said something else: apparently, if we don't lend him our strength, the prince of Atall will attack and annihilate us.”

“We'll take him on and beat him back!” The youths shouted and raised their fists to the sky. Here, on this mountain, woman were included among said 'youths'. Warlike cries flew throughout the village, coming from men who were preparing to go hunting, and women who were tanning beast hides with smoke. Some of the more quick-tempered youths even held a sword or a gun in the fists they raised overhead.

“That woman who doesn't know the awe and terror of Divine Tei Tahra should just burn along with Kuon!”

“Of course the chief didn't give in to the threats from Atall. And of course, Warrior Raga, who was also there, roared the same thing as everyone here: 'we'll take him on and beat him back'. But at that moment, the one who spoke in objection was Kuon.”

At this point in time, Kuon was being seen as heinous sinner, but since he had not yet received Tei Tahra's judgement, he was not yet a criminal. Furthermore, he had undergone the coming-of-age ceremony. Since he was guilty of no crime, for all that he was called an 'unwanted child', and for all that he had left the mountain without permission for a year, he was still an adult of the tribe, and he naturally had all the rights that went with it.

Kuon had made use of those rights to directly oppose the chief's will. “I challenge Warrior Raga so that I can prove before Divine Tei Tahra that I am right,” he had insisted. People were astounded and incredulous. There were not a few of them who burst out laughing.

“A man living on borrowed time, waiting for Divine Tei Tahra to hand down His judgement, wants to prove to our mountain god that he's right?”

“That accursed 'unwanted spawn'? That 'betrayer'?”

“The lady priestesses don't need to wait to hear Lord Tei Tahra's voice. That bastard will be using his own body to show this mountain what justice is. It'll be proven the instant Raga's sword sends Kuon's head flying.”

Throughout all of that day, the entire village was occupied with the topic of the duel between Raga and Kuon. People were not only getting worked up by insulting Kuon; it had already been about twenty years since Warrior Raga had taken part in a fight over village policy. Although the outcome was absolutely obvious, the contest provided the people there with a certain form of entertainment.

“How is Kuon going to be killed? Is he going to be felled in a single blow, or are his nerves going to be ground down while Raga takes his time chopping his limbs off one by one? How long will Kuon last? Will their swords even clash once? No, they say that the beast eyes painted on Raga's mask hold the power to make evil spirits falter. That guy definitely won't be able to even move...”
Sarah intoned expressionlessly, in exactly the same voice as a priest transmitting a message from a god.

“...Is what they're saying, Mr Officer in Prince Leo Attiel's Personal Guards,” she addressed Kuon, who was on the other side of the iron bars, his back leaning against the stone wall. He didn't seem like he was going to answer, however.
Ever since he had informed Chief Suo and Priestess Mist that he would duel Raga, Sarah had treated him with the coldest of attitudes.

“Even though, thanks to my superb negotiation skills, it looked like I was the verge of getting a concession out of Suo. I would even have been able to have you released. But in spite of that, you went and said 'I'm staying here. I won't run away.' Hmph, well, how splendidly manly of you. And, what do you intend to accomplish with this duel? Savages from the wilderness, who won't even listen to reason, really seem to like fighting to see who's right,” Sarah declared, her eyebrows drawn tightly together.

However, when she glanced towards Kuon, whose face was hidden behind one raised knee, her cheeks puffed out.

“What is it? Why are you laughing?”

“The Cross Faith also has duels,” Kuon snorted. “Apparently, the style changes a bit depending on the country or city, but when things can't be settled with a trial, or when you want to avoid the time and trouble of going to trial, you can solve things by having a duel between the people concerned, or their representatives.”

“Th... Well, hum...”

“I heard about it from Camus. Seems he's also done it. I had to listen for almost an hour while he explained, complete with gestures, about how his spear had righted 'injustice' and proven his innocence.”

“That ''bastard'',” Sarah openly cursed her brother. Then immediately continued, “That's one thing, and I don't want to talk about it. Don't try to sidestep the issue.”

Kuon was left speechless by how high-handed she was being. It was as though she might be able to change the direction the wind was blowing through sheer force of will.

“There was no other choice. Even if your 'superb negotiation skills' had gotten us both out of the mountains, what then? Were we supposed to just happily go back to the prince? Without a single soldier following us?”

“That's...”

“If I win, I can change Suo's decision. In other words, we can help the prince by getting reinforcements. It's not like I ever thought that getting them to help would be easy. I was ready for at least this much.”

“Liar. You were about to run away. It's only because of the way things unfolded that it ended up like this,” Sarah made another bitter comment.

However, she changed her tone immediately afterwards, probably believing that there was no point continuing in that vein.

“That guy... That Raga, is he strong?”

“I told you before, right? The strongest man in the tribe is the one who becomes Raga.”

“So you're saying he's stronger than you?”

When Sarah asked him that, biting her thumb with irritation, Kuon for some reason looked dumbstruck for a moment. After thinking about it, he replied,

“I'm stronger.”

At his answer, Sarah once again retorted “Liar,” without a second's delay.

“Didn't you only just say that the strongest becomes Raga? If he's stronger than anyone, then that means he's stronger than you, right!”

“You can't take part in the fight to choose Raga until you're an adult. So I never took part until now, and the current Raga got that position while I was away from the mountain. In other words, Raga was decided while I was gone. If I'd been here, Raga would be me.”

Kuon met Sarah's tempestuous emotions with a dispassionate answer. The young nun still had her mouth open wide, as though she were about to say something, but all that came out of it was the sound of her breathing, and before long, she let her slender shoulders dropped. Instead of calling him an idiot, she asked, in a small voice,

“...So when will the duel be?”

“Didn't you hear? Suo said it, you know. It will start tomorrow at sunset.”

“T-Tomorrow,” Sarah's breath caught in her throat, then she gasped. “You're in no state for that. It's been three days since you were locked in here, right? I've heard that I was unconscious for about that long. Are you moving at all? If you just stay still, your muscles will become stiff and you won't be able to move them. And what about meals? You haven't been getting any, have you? I'm more or less a guest, so if I ask, I can probably get them to share some with you. Hang on, I'll go and fetch...”

As soon as she decided that, Sarah started to set off and seemed about to leave the cleft in the rock. Kuon had no time to stop her, yet Sarah herself suddenly paused when her hand was already on the edge of the entranceway.

“That won't be necessary.”

A new voice could be heard from the other side of the opening. It was Aqua, with a wooden tray in hand. Grilled fish and several types of nuts were arranged on top of it, and there was also a bowl filled with mashed corn.

“This is from Chief Suo,” said Aqua, silently gesturing to Sarah to 'get out' as 'she' walked past her. Sarah stood aside.

Aqua slid the tray through the gap between the iron bars and the ground's surface. Kuon's gaze shifted in turn from the tray to Aqua. Seeing the 'girl's' slender face again, it seemed to have matured a little since he had left the village. Aqua stared expressionlessly back at him, but before long, 'her' shoulders started to jerk in a way that showed 'she' was uncomfortable.

“Aren't you going to eat?” 'Her' voice was low, but it was sharp and firm.”It might be your last meal.”

“I'll eat. More importantly, Aqua, you were taking part in the ashinaga hunt, so I guess that means you've 'become a man', huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Too bad for Diu. He wanted to marry you.”

“Is that right,” Aqua answered indifferently.

Pulling the tray towards him, Kuon seemed about to ask something else, but Aqua abruptly swung 'her' slender frame around, and started to leave without another word. In a complete reversal from earlier, however, this time, Sarah was the one standing in the way, and Aqua had no choice but to stop.

“Move, Outsider.”

“Forget it. I was intending to kick that Diu person flying as soon as I got here. Where is he?”

“Diu? ''You're'' going to 'kick him flying'? Aqua chuckled softly after repeating Sarah's words.

The novice nun felt as though she was being laughed at as a completely ignorant outsider, and her face flushed crimson.

“Yes, that's exactly right. And I'm not 'you': I'm Sarah, the best woman warrior of Conscon Temple, who is going to beat up Diu, the puniest of your tribe.”

“Why? You've never met him, right?”

“I've heard about him. He set a trap for Kuon. The one who killed Datta Wei wasn't Kuon, and that Diu person...”

“Stop it, Sarah!” Kuon shouted angrily from the other side of the iron bars, but Sarah shook her head.

“I'm not saying it for you. I'm still furious.”

“Idiot. Camus said that your god teaches that even if someone hits you on the side of the face, you should turn the other cheek without hitting back.”

“How did he have the nerve to say that? That stupid spear maniac! You're stupid too, and so is Big Brother, and Lord Leo, and every single one of you men, all of you, all of you are stupid!”

Sarah was bent slightly forward in rage as she vented her fury, and Aqua passed by the side of her with unconcerned steps.

“Ah, hold on... this conversation isn't over...” Sarah made as if to stop 'her'.

“If you want to beat up Diu, you should just leave it to Kuon tomorrow,” Aqua said coldly.

“What? What do you mean?”

“Don't you get it? At the ceremony held half a year ago, the new vessel which Warrior Raga's soul chose to reside in was the one who used to be Diu Wei.”

The pine torches at the entrance of the cleft threw light on Aqua, and half 'her' body was illuminated red.

===Part 2===

The setting for the fight was a shallow ravine near the summit of the great mountain.

The ceremonial combats to choose a new Raga were held in the same place. In other words, this was where, not so very long ago, Diu Wei had competed for and earned the right to house Warrior Raga's soul.

Kuon was let out of the cliff-face prison a little before sunset.

Red curtains had been hung at both ends of the floor of the ravine. As one of the contestants waiting to duel, Kuon was led behind one of them. Even now, his hands and feet were bound in chains. Soldiers, who were more like lookouts than guards, had followed behind him, but after he was pushed behind the curtain, there was no longer anyone around him.

For a while, time simply passed.

Kuon dropped down to the ground on his backside. Having come this far, he naturally had no intention of running away. He felt the presence of people gathered on the other side of the curtain. The light of the sun gradually grew weaker, and was replaced with deep shadows in the area cut off by the draperies.

At that point, Aqua came in, accompanying an elderly priestess clad entirely in scarlet robes.

As soon as the greetings were over, the priestess started drawing a pattern over Kuon's skin with red dye. It was meant to call the Spirits of battle into his body, and normally, it was a pattern that only the head of a unit was allowed to receive when going to war. Two exceptions were made, however, and the braves who dared contend to become Raga, as well as the warriors who challenged Raga, were also allowed to wear it.

A few minutes later, Kuon's skin was covered in a pattern of red stripes. The priestess placed a finger at the centre of the large circle that was drawn on his chest, and said, “All will be according to Lord Tei Tahra's guidance,” before disappearing back to the other side of the curtain.

After the priestess had left, Aqua, who had been watching motionlessly from start to end, silently crouched down next to Kuon, and took a key to unlock the chains at his hand and feet. Kuon swung his legs, which suddenly felt light again.
“Why did you come back?” Aqua asked him in a whisper.

Kuon answered while gazing at the dirt-stained tip of his toes,

“It was Lord Tei Tahra's guidance.”

“Liar. You don't have the mountain god's guidance,” 'she' retorted flatly. 'Her' callousness reminded him of Sarah. Speaking of which, the two of them were the same age.

“Diu Wei was strong,” Aqua continued, as though speaking to 'herself'.

“I know.”

“No, you don't know. After you left, Diu became stronger. It was almost frightening how he continued practising day and night, as though he was possessed by the Spirits of battle and he didn't know how to release them. Even though everyone thought that after Datta's death, Diu would succed him as the next 'Wei', he even left that to Aro, his senior brother in the unit, and continued improving his skills all by himself. The ceremonial battle to decide Raga was amazing. Whether it was the warriors with more experience than Diu, or those with a better physique than him, nobody could even touch him.”

Kuon didn't answer. He remembered how Sarah had asked him the previous evening, “Is Raga stronger than you, Kuon?” At the time, he had truly felt astounded.

Of course Raga was strong. It was a simple fact, something that even babies knew, as obvious for those born in the great mountains as saying that things dropped from a height would fall. Yet when Sarah asked him that question point-blank, Kuon realised that he had completely forgotten that well-known truth.

It wasn't because he had been looking down on Raga. As soon as he had faced the masked warrior at the prison, he had sensed that the current Raga was Diu. And Diu was a man who had always been one step ahead of Kuon, not only in age, but also in terms of skill with sword or bow. If they were to fight one-to-one, it would be difficult for Kuon to win without a large amount of luck on his side.

The rules of duel were clear: victory would only be decided when one of them either died, or accepted defeat. But the people from their community believed that Kuon was steeped in sin – that his flesh housed evil spirits. Even if Kuon were to admit defeat, Raga held the duty of expelling evil spirits, so it was unthinkable that he would stay his sword.

In other words, it meant that Kuon had a very high chance of dying in this fight.

Yet when he had declared that he would face off against Raga, he had felt neither fear nor anxiety. Still, when he had explained to Sarah that ''Diu became Raga when I wasn't around, so he isn't the strongest. The strongest is me'', those were not his true feelings.

Nor was he labouring under the naïve assumption that ''I didn't kill Datta. I'm innocent. Lord Tei Tahra grants victory to the righteous, so there's no way I can lose.''

Aqua, who was strapping shoulder pads and a belt on the still-seated Kuon, also seemed to find it strange.

“Aren't you scared?”

'She' then changed 'her' question, and spoke in a voice just as quiet as before,

“You deliberately came back knowing that you would be killed, and now, you're definitely going to die. I'm also a 'man'. I'm not afraid of losing my life in battle. When I die, my body and bones will be burned, but my soul will ride on the back of Valgo the wind-wolf, he who serves Lord Tei Tahra, and will turn into a spirit. It's something to be proud of. But you, from the moment you left the mountain – from the moment you even thought of leaving the mountain – you lost Lord Tei Tahra's protection. The corpse that housed evil spirits is burned in the sacred fire, but although the soul is saved, it can no longer follow the path to becoming a spirit. That means it loses the path to achieve eternity. Do you understand? That's basically the same as never having been born. I would hate it. Everything that you'd done up until then, the fact that you'd fought for the mountain, your family – it would be as if all those things never existed. I couldn't bear it!”

Blood rose to Aqua's face during 'her' long and vehement speech, and, even though it was only a little, it showed traces of how 'she' had looked in 'her' girlhood, back on that day when they were young and she rebuked Kuon without rhyme or reason.

''It is scary'', Kuon mentally agreed. But there was something that he found even scarier.

There was a loud booming noise, and the curtain that surrounded them shook. It was the sound of a drum, and it meant that battle was approaching. A second slower after the drum, there was a loud roar as the men of the tribe cheered enthusiastically.

Aqua stood, as though 'she' had suddenly come back to 'her' senses.

“Stand, Kuon. I need to make the last of the 'preparations'.”

Kuon moved to obey the order, but then suddenly stopped.

“What is it?”

“My legs have gone to sleep. Lend me a hand.”

“How pathetic, and you're saying you're going to fight Raga?” Aqua shook 'her' head as though 'she' found him utterly deplorable. 'She' stretched out 'her' hand, caught Kuon's wrist, and helped him up.

While Aqua completed the 'preparation', Kuon stared fixedly at the wrist that 'she' had seized only just a few moments ago.

A large crowd of men were gathered at the top of the slightly elevated cliffs that formed the shallow ravine.

Of those there that night, the most conspicuous were the heads of units, adorned in their battle markings. The warriors who represented the mountains were closely monitoring the fight, and this served to guarantee that justice would be served by the outcome of the fight, whatever that outcome might be.

If, after this, someone were to appear who opposed the policy that was decided this night, who expressed dissatisfaction and deliberately refused to obey, that person would probably be expelled from the unit on the authority of its leader. And there were those among them who, out of shame that such a person could have come from their household, would resign from the position of leader of their own accord. The warriors' patterns that were painted on them testified to that level of resolve.

Aside from them, an unbroken line of men could be seen from between the unit leaders. Apart from the priestesses, only men who had reached adulthood were allowed to witness the fight.

An exception had been made for the 'outsider', Sarah, and she could be seen in the area where the priestesses had taken up their positions, just next to Mist, the very oldest of them.

Most of the men were holding pine torches aloft. Their light shone down on the ravine as the figures of the contestants appeared from either side of it. One was a warrior in a beast mask, the fangs of which framed both sides of his head.

“Raga.”

“Raga.”

“Raga!”

Every time he took a step forward, the loud cheers of the tribe's men thundered and reverberated through the ravine. The men wore enraptured, entranced expressions, and their voices had a worshipping ring to them.

Naturally, all of them knew that the face beneath the mask belonged to Diu Wei. And among the warriors, Diu was still young. For all that he had earned the position of Raga through genuine ability, it would hardly be surprising if, among the vastly more experienced warriors, there were some who still doubted Diu's actual skill, or who took him lightly.

Yet not a shred of that was in evidence among any of those who now held up torches or weapons. Even the heads of units in the prime of their life, even those who – if their children had slipped up – might have grandchildren that were close to Diu's age, turned fervent gazes towards him.

But no, this wasn't 'Diu'. Strictly speaking, there was no face beneath Raga's mask.

When he won his position as Raga, and once he had received the rites from the priestesses, Diu unmistakably became Raga, the warrior told of in the legends. Even if the body which was now moving forward had once belonged to Diu, it was now the dwelling in which Raga's soul resided. Which meant that the man known as Diu Wei currently did not exist.

And that was why, among those gathered there – and even among the highly-skilled warriors who secretly believed that “If I had taken part in the battle ceremony, I'd have beaten down a brat like Diu Wei,” – absolutely none of them looked down on Raga. They could not even begin to doubt that he might win.

On the other hand, when Kuon walked towards the centre from the side opposite Raga, jeers hailed down incessantly from the young men.

“You accursed unwanted spawn!”

“Know your place! Not only did you oppose the chief, but you even challenged Raga?”

“He's as shameless as his mother was!”

Sarah bit her lips as she watched, and her brows drew together for a moment when the two of them finally arrived at the centre of the ravine.

Both contestants were similarly stripped naked down to their waists, and wore a shoulder pad on their left shoulder. Both similarly grasped a single, unsheathed long sword. There was, however, one single point of difference between the two men: Kuon was holding his sword in his left hand.

Kuon was right-handed, but it was clear from the start that he would not be transferring the weapon to his dominant hand.

He couldn't.

And the reason for that was because his right arm was pulled behind his back, and bound against his torso with rope.

“Those are the 'shackles' that Suo has imposed on Kuon.”

Perhaps noticing Sarah's shock and disbelief, Mist, the head priestess, explained while maintaining her eyes fixed straight ahead, even though her eyelids drooped so low that it was unclear whether she could even see anything. Any challenger who contested a decision by the chief and who fought Raga would, without exception, be handicapped by 'shackles' that were chosen at the chief's own discretion.

Kuon had mentioned it when he had once talked about his past: the head of the tribe guided his people according to the council he received from the priestesses, who conveyed Tei Tahra's words to him. Opposing the chief was virtually the same as claiming that “the priestesses misheard the Divine Voice.” Which was why that person had to prove themselves beyond any shadow of doubt – so clearly that anyone could see.

Since the dispute concerned the will of the mountain god, Tei Tahra was certain to grant victory to whoever was right, and so, the challenger had to be able to win no matter what handicap he was placed under. There were some who had been made to challenge Raga empty-handed, while he carried a long-handled spear. There were others who had even been thrown into the ring with their eyes covered with a blindfold.

“Has there ever been anyone so far who's won against Raga?” Sarah asked in a trembling voice. She held no sense of hope about the answer.

And, just as expected, Mist shook her head.

“As far as I know, this ritual has always ended with Raga's victory, and no one has ever overturned any of the chief's policies.”

Sarah turned back to where Kuon and Raga were facing each other and, looking at them again, the difference in build between them was obvious. Raga's physique was by no means the most impressive within the tribe, but compared to his burly frame – and even though Kuon had grown taller since Sarah had first met him – Kuon was like a young and flimsy sapling. Forced into a fight where he was at a disadvantage even at the best of times, his dominant arm was now immobilised.

Sarah wanted to scream in protest against what was going on. This was completely stupid. She wanted to break through the crowd and into the ravine at once, grab Kuon by the arm, and drag him back to Atall, even if it was against his will.

But her legs wouldn't move, and her voice wouldn't come out. She realised that it was too late to turn back. If she forcibly broke up this fight, the only fate that awaited Kuon was being thrown to the flames. And so all Sarah could do now was to pray for his victory. A victory which he did not have one in a million chances of obtaining.

Chief Suo stood between the two fighters who were silently facing one another. Riding a palanquin carried on the shoulders of warriors, Mist also headed to the same place. This fight was a way of seeking Tei Tahra's will, but the official verdict on the outcome would come from Suo and Mist.

Mist looked up at the heavens overhead. At the same moment, she lifted the sleeve of her faded robes, and raised a bony arm to the night sky.

“I feel them. Of Lord Tei Tahra's one thousand eyes concealed within the mountains, three pairs now turn overhead. One pair watches Warrior Raga, one pair watches Kuon, and, from high in the heavens, the last pair sees nothing but the truth in this place. You who are not born of the energy of earth, trees and wind must fight. You who are not gods and who question the truth have no choice but to weigh your one, insignificant life in the scales. And then fight... fight... fight!”

The warriors who carried spears or swords struck their weapons against the ground. At first it was quiet and slow, and, since no one was giving orders, the noise was chaotic and disjointed.

As the seconds passed, however, a pattern emerged from the series of uncoordinated sounds. As others followed or were made to follow it, the intensity and speed of the pounding sounds soon swelled until they envelopped the ravine, and reverberated so loudly that they seemed to be challenging the night sky and making the whole mountain shake.

The chief headed up from the ravine while Mist was again transported by palanquin back to Sarah's side.

First, Raga ran the tip of his long sword across the surface of the ground, then put himself in a fighting stance. Kuon raised the blade that he held in his left hand by a fraction.

Having arrived at the top of the cliff, Suo raised his arm, and the noise that had engulfed the entire surroundings abruptly stopped. It was so sudden that a loud ringing sound continued to echo in Sarah's ears.

As it disappeared, Suo shouted,

“Begin!”

And at the same moment, blades flashed, reflecting the light of the flames.

===Part 3===

Raga was the first to move at the signal. Just like the mask that concealed his face, he sprang at Kuon with movements like a beast leaping at its prey's throat.

He was fast.

Sarah almost screamed. There was still that difference in build between them: it was to the point where if Kuon took a single blow, the match would probably be decided.

As Raga's long sword hummed, Kuon leaped back. Sarah had no time to sigh in relief: for a while, both sides started moving hectically within the narrow ravine, their feet never stopping.

Whenever Raga tried to close in on him, Kuon put distance between them. Yet Raga wasn't just going to let him escape however he pleased. Would it be to the right, or to the left? Just when it looked like his pursuit was slowing down, he would swing his sword. And his footwork never faltered.

If Camus, Sarah's combat-loving brother, had been there, would he have made comments along the line of: '''His hips and waist are steady, and his centre is unwavering. He must have trained diligently'?'' Sarah was a layman in terms of fighting, and his movements had a strength and ferocity that made her gasp.

Against an ordinary opponent, Raga would not have swung his sword five times before either the other's head fell, or his chest was pierced through. And in fact –

“It's over, huh?”

The warriors standing near Sarah gave the impression of having already seen how the contest would end.

“Once the physically inferior one gets run ragged, there's no more chance of victory for him.”

“Kuon should have charged from the start. I don't think he'd have been able to land a blow on Raga even then, but at least he'd have a shown a little pride as a man of the tribe.”

“We're talking about unwanted spawn – even if he was once recognised as a warrior of Tei Tahra, there's no point having sympathy.”

And certainly, Raga was the only one attacking, while Kuon simply ran away. It was no wonder that everyone considered the match already settled.

Yet Raga had already swung his sword more than ten times since Suo had given the signal. But he still hadn't caught Kuon. Gradually, the crowd's aside comments and mocking jeers started to fade away.

Kuon was dodging skilfully. He side-stepped left or right even as he faced Raga head-on. Even when the blade was closing in on him, he wasn't the least perturbed and just nimbly bent his head to avoid a swipe aimed at an angle, or jumped lightly back and let the blow pass by him, just a step away. Every time it happened, the circle of men following the contest all let out “ooh”s and “ah”s that might have been expressions either of disappointment or of admiration.

Although Sarah, who held her breath as she watched the fight, didn't make a sound, a corner of her mind was remembering the first time she met Kuon.

At Conscon Temple, he had gotten into a fight with men who were probably mountain bandits. He had faced about five or six opponents, but he smoothly and continuously passed by the fists they swung and the legs they kicked at him, sometimes even looking as though he was about to cling to their large frames. If the sword that Raga swung held all the ferocity of a wild beast, then Kuon's limbs were like supple plants entangling the predator.

The experienced tribesmen could not help but recognise that fact. Still, once it had continued on for nearly five minutes, the crowd who was watching tensely could no longer hide its irritation.

“Just how long are you planning to run away for!” Unable to bear it any longer, a man on the opposite side of the ravine from Sarah shouted out.

“Don't you dare defile the arena that the mountain god is watching over!” By Sarah's side, one of the young men who had being carrying Mist's palanquin cried out angrily.

One after another, more and more of the men started hurling abuse at Kuon.

''That's just telling Kuon to die!'' Sarah wanted to furiously shout back at them.

However, at that point in time, there was a faint, almost imperceptible glimmer of emotion within Kuon's eyes as he continued to carefully observe his opponent. It wasn't anger at being scorned and mocked. Rather, it was the light that came from having found a chance at victory.

Kuon had been waiting for 'this'.

From the very first, he had not believed he had any chance of winning through a direct confrontation. If he had lunged at Raga, who had been ready for everything, his blows would simply have been repelled, and the only thing that would have awaited Kuon at that point was 'death'.

And so, his only hope had been to systematically evade every strike. Yet even so, Raga was the man who had emerged victorious after defeating who knew how many seasoned fighters. When their movements had intersected, Kuon never once saw a single opening in his opponent.

However, now, a change appeared in Raga's way of moving.

Even if he had been crowned with the name of the legendary warrior spoken of in myth, Raga – or rather, Diu Wei, the one beneath the mask – was still young.

And because he was young, he was under heavy mental pressure. That of being Warrior Raga: in other words, that of being stronger than anyone else in the tribe. And, as Raga, he had to continuously prove that strength.

Moreover, his opponent was Kuon: someone who was smaller than him, who was a traitor who had broken the laws of the village, and whose dominant arm was blocked. It was completely obvious that Warrior Raga would win against that kind of opponent. There was no way it could be a difficult fight. He needed to settle it effortlessly, in one, single strike.

Up until then, Kuon had not been able to sense whether the current Raga felt 'the heavy pressure of being Raga' weighing on his shoulders, but when the crowd began to voice their irritation, the change he had been eagerly waiting for had finally appeared.

Seen from the outside, it only looked like Raga had become even fiercer, as his speed and strength had increased. But Kuon saw the impatience beneath it. The leeway, based on instinct, that Raga had previously had, and which had allowed him to steadily drive his prey into a corner, had now vanished from his movements. In other words, now that he was intent on raining blows down on Kuon, the flexibility had disappeared from the way he moved.

When Kuon realised that, he brought his feet – which had been moving incessantly – to a halt, and started to crouch. The muscles of his tempered calves bulged. In the next moment, he broke into a run towards Raga.

In the same instant, the men who had been howling angrily started shouting with excitement. Sarah covered her eyes. As far as she and the crowd could see, Kuon had been unable to endure the booing, and was just charging recklessly.
[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_039.png|thumb]]
Yet even as Kuon seemed to be offering his own neck to Raga's sturdy sword, he suddenly vanished.

Or at least, that was how it looked to most of those watching, including Raga himself.

While sprinting forward, Kuon had bent down until he was almost skimming the ground. He felt a gust of wind above his head. Raga had swung his sword. The very next second, Kuon's strong knees and thighs exerted a strength twice as great as his own weight, and he sprang upwards.

For the first time, the blade clasped in his hand traced a semi-circle in the air as he attacked. The tip struck Raga's mask.
Raga staggered backwards, and Kuon deliberately rolled to the side, almost as though he was falling over.

The crowd raised a noise that was close to a scream.

Kuon immediately stood up as he was rolling. Raga's steps were unsteady.

Which meant that he was still alive.

The next one to attack was Raga, but having to brace himself meant that his strike wasn't so vigorous, and Kuon's blow seemed to have half negated his strength. The mask cracked, and the top half started to crumble.

If Raga's mask had not been there, and if Kuon's right hand had been free... then the contest would already have been decided. However, this was a fight in which speculation had been meaningless from the start: Tei Tahra would grant victory to the one who was in the right.

Kuon drew up from behind towards the opponent he had failed to kill. Raga started to look behind him, but his movements were terribly slow, probably because his consciousness was still hazy.

“Raga!”

A huge number of the men all shouted simultaneously, but it was to no avail, and Kuon's sword swung in attack. It seemed as though the fight would be settled this time for sure, but Kuon was aiming for Raga's sword.

The blade dropped from Raga's limp arm, and Raga himself pitched forward from the impact. The tip of Kuon's blade instantly pressed against his throat.

''Ah!'' – who could even tell whose voice had just escaped them?

The two fighters, who had been moving without pause up until then, now stood still, both panting heavily. The cloud of dust they had kicked up during their fight was still swirling slightly at their feet.

''It's Kuon's win'' – thought Sarah, but, next to her, Mist muttered quietly:

“How foolish.”

In order to win, a contestant had to either kill his opponent, or else get them to concede defeat. Kuon silently urged Raga to choose the first option, but there was no way that the strongest warrior in the tribe could accept that kind of outcome.

If Raga lost, it could only be through his death.

In that moment, Kuon saw pale flames flash in the eyes that glared at him from behind the cracked and crumbling mask. Just as Raga's burly arms seemed about to stretch out towards him, he instead caught the blade at his throat in his bare hands. That unexpected move caused Kuon's posture to falter, and in that same instant, Raga sprang up, kicking Kuon in the stomach as he did so.

Kuon staggered, and Raga wrenched the sword from his hand. Within a split second, Kuon had rolled to the ground and swept away the sword that Raga had dropped earlier.

The two steel swords collided. Sparks scattered a second, then a third time.

The contest had returned to the start – or so it might seem, but Raga's way of moving had clearly suffered. Yet even if that was the after-effect of the blow he had taken to the head, from the other side of the mask, he was now concentrating on raining down powerful strikes. Which meant that Kuon had also lost his advantage, which had been in the flexibility of his movements.

More than anything, this meant that unlike earlier, the two of them were in close range from one another. Kuon could no longer rely on his footwork to escape from Raga, and was forced to use the sword to defend himself. Now that things had come to that point, the difference in their build was crucial; forced into a contest of brute strength, Kuon was at an overwhelming disadvantage. Every time he stopped a blow, his centre of gravity shook. His waist bent, his shoulders heaved, and his steps were becoming unsteady.

The tip of the blade grazed the top of Kuon's shoulders, and blood flew. If Raga had been just half a step closer, that blow would have taken Kuon's head.

“Oooh!”

“Get him, Raga!”

“Cut down that evil spirit.”

The men once again started striking their swords and spears against the ground.

Sarah felt a sort of vertigo, as though her brains were being shaken to the core. In the light of the pine torches, the shadows of the two warriors were so close that they overlapped with one another. Steel gleamed in the space between them. Was there even that space? The men roared as their sweat flew. Their weapons beating against the ground played a murderous and oppressive rhythm.

For someone from the civilised world, it was like a scene from a world of twilight. It resembled a painting daubed in primary colours, one that could release you from the shackles of reason with just a single look.

Even though the feeling of warm blood had receded from her entire body, leaving only coldness, there was a single thin line, drawn from the top of her head down to her crotch, which was so hot that it seemed her blood was actually boiling. Unable to endure the cold and heat, Sarah wanted to crouch down where she was. She wanted to turn her eyes away from Kuon, who seemed about to be bisected by Raga's sword at any moment now.

But Sarah suddenly opened her eyes wide. Shaking off the chilling cold, she was conscious only of the heat of her blood and, as though that heat was urging her on, she raised a cry that was completely unbecoming of a nun.

“''Damn it'', Kuon! Are you just going to die here for nothing? Kuon! If you win, I'll give myself to you. Sarah Pushelko would never sell her body, even if the lord of a country said he wanted it and offered me my weight in gold, and then the same again in jewels. I've given my body to God, and it doesn't come that cheap. But Kuon, I set the value of your victory higher. My body was supposed to ascend to Heaven as untainted as my soul, but I'll let you hold me if your arms are covered in the blood of your defeated enemy!”

Did he hear that shout? Kuon desperately kept away from Raga, who was hurling blows straight at him. Each one of them was heavy and sharp. Even if he had been able to use his dominant hand, it was by no means sure that he would have been able to win.

Raga was still cutting down the distance between them. He was not about to make the same mistake twice. He struck at Kuon's shoulders, aimed to entangle his feet and destroy his stance, determined not to allow him a single chance to counter-attack.

It was terrifying. Kuon felt as though his entrails were frozen with fear, knowing that he was on the brink of having his head cut off or one of his limbs severed.

But that was only for now. He had felt the same kind of fear when he had decided to fight Raga. But he had a will of iron: his determination was unshakable, and he would survive and win at all cost, to personally save Lord Leo from danger... – saying that would be a lie.

If Kuon had left the mountain without fighting Raga – perhaps thanks to a deal with Suo brought about by Sarah's self-proclaimed 'superb negotiation skills' – he would certainly have been tormented by the same nightmare for the rest of eternity.

Day and night, by his pillow, at his feet, on either side of him, the spirit of the fisherman he had pierced with a sword at his coming-of-age ceremony would appear before him, thrusting blades into Kuon's body from all directions, then searing him in hellfire hotter than flames, even though they wouldn't leave a single burn mark on him.

That was the stagnant ''sludge'' that was binding Kuon. The days he had spent in the mountains where he had been born and raised, the beliefs, the customs, the people, the voices chanting incantations, the blood that had been spilled – all of them were fetters that bound his limbs and heart.

He needed to sever them.

That didn't mean discarding his past, but he had to settle things with his own hands, so that the past would stay in the past, and would not cast its shadow over the future.

Kuon gazed at Raga, whose face was now close to his. More than half the mask had already peeled off and fallen away. Diu's eyes blazed with light.

Raga's sword crashed head-on and hard against the blade Kuon held. The shock of the impact ran like lightning from Kuon's left wrist to his shoulder, and he dropped his sword.

The crowd's excitement swelled to its peak. The fierce surge of heat that blew up from the ground seemed like it could knock down the stars hanging in the night sky.

Yet that terrifying rush of heat vanished in an instant.

It happened just after Raga had taken the half-a-step needed to land the finishing blow.

Kuon once more vanished from his sight.

It was a tactic that overturned the difference in physique. By making it look like he was throwing everything into defending himself with his sword, Kuon had drawn Raga's eyes to the upper part of his body. And then, timing the loss of his sword for a point where escape was no longer possible, he had instantly slipped between Raga's legs. Kuon grabbed on to Raga's ankle as he rolled, and ended up behind him. And he didn't give him the chance to even look back.

Kuon flung a rock the size of a fist, which he had picked up as he rolled, into the back of Raga's head.

It was a terribly primitive end to a duel between swordsmen of outstanding skill.

Raga toppled forward without making a sound.

The men who had been leaning forward on all sides of the ravine, their fists raised and their mouths wide open, all suddenly froze.

Afterwards, only silence remained.

===Part 4===

Within the sanctuary of Tei Tahra, 'time', which had moved steadily and unfalteringly forward ever since the days of the distant past right up until the present, suddenly seemed to grind to a halt.

That was how great the shock of Warrior Raga's defeat was to the mountain people.

However... time could not stop. That was, after all, no more than an illusion. The one who shattered that moment that held them all spellbound was Sarah, the outsider to the mountains.

“You did it!”

As she shouted with joy, Mist, who was next to her, called out to the village chief who was at the top of the cliff.

“Suo.”

Whereupon, Suo, repeatedly blinking his eyes in astonishment, raised his arm.

“The contest has been decided,” he announced in sonorous voice.

In that moment, a violent tremor seemed to jolt the 'time' which clung to the ravine's surroundings, and they were suddenly enveloped in noise and commotion the like of which had never yet been seen there. Almost none of those present were able to wrap their heads around what they had just seen, and around how the fight had ended.

And that was why some of them started to speculate:

“Did Kuon use the wiles of evil spirits?”

Others, however, objected, still half dumb with amazement.

“No, if he'd done that, there's no way Raga would have been defeated. Since he's a being who devours evil spirits.”

While the winner, Kuon, crouched down, breathing raggedly, several shaman, along with some of the guards who protected the priestesses, moved towards the loser, Raga.

He was only unconscious for a few minutes. The soldiers were carrying him away to receive medical treatment, but he shook them off and got down to stand on his own two feet.

“Kill me.”

Raga – the one who had once been Diu Wei – spoke with a hate-filled glare directed at Kuon.

“Raga cannot be defeated as long as he still lives. Kill me, Kuon. If you don't, then I haven't lost yet. Come me at me again. I'll even free both your arms. Well fight until one of us dies. Well, come on!”

Raga continued to howl, but since Suo had already spoken, the match had already been decided. Although he was staggering and swaying, he would have continued to move towards Kuon, except that the heads of unit, who had been there to monitor the fight, blocked his way and removed him from the ravine.

Meanwhile, Suo repeatedly hurled his voice – “Quiet, quiet!” – at the crowd which was still making a commotion. But the shock was so great that he was not having much success. However, the elder priestess, Mist, who had appeared next to him at some point, spoke:

“Warrior Raga has lost.”

Although her voice was by no means loud, it held enough pressure to make everyone there swallow their breath and stop moving. As the crowd looked towards her, Priestess Mist spread out her arms on either side of her, like a withered tree.

“The warrior who should never have lost, has been defeated. You all know what that means. God has handed down His verdict. He has granted victory to the side in the right. That it is to say that, yes, our Lord, Divine Tei Tahra, desired Kuon's victory. Or, more accurately, rather than Kuon's victory, what He desired was that Kuon would overturn the chief's decision.”

Thereupon, Chief Suo knelt at her feet.

“In light of this verdict, I acknowledge that I misunderstood the voice of God that the priestesses relayed to me. Although I have been granted the title of 'chief', I am, after all, no more than a insignificant existence, brought to life by Tei Tahra's divine protection. How about you all?”

“We too,” one of the heads of unit struck his sword into the ground. “We too are those who exist within the mountain god, Tei Tahra's divine protection.”

As the heads knelt one after another, the crowd too, amazed and bewildered, dropped to their knees and offered prayers to Tei Tahra.

Each had their own thoughts and feelings – including the heads and the priestesses – but for those of the tribe living in the great mountains, these were easily swallowed up by the deity, the spells, and the inumerable customs rooted in their religious beliefs. At the climax of the duel, they had encouraged Raga and booed angrily at Kuon, but it was a fact that their god had granted his judgement.

They all of them fell silent.

Amidst them, Kuon remained crouching on the ground. For a while, he couldn't even move, and didn't feel like doing anything except breathing.

How much time went by?

By the time he realised it, the row of torches had left from around the ravine, and the human figures had also vanished. Kuon was taken to a house, and was given treatment by a shaman. Close to his ear, Sarah never stopped scolding him, but he barely registered it. At most, all he heard were things like, “you... a guy like you,” or “honestly... honestly...” and nothing else. Yet sometimes, she sniffled and sobbed, and her strained voice made him feel strangely embarrassed.

Eventually, both Sarah and the shaman left, and Mist appeared in their place.

“All has unfolded according to God's guidance.” After praising the winner with those words, she then asked, “...But, what about that? Kuon, your victory was certainly in accordance with God's will, but leaving Raga alive was not. That looked like something you decided on for yourself. Why was that?”

“Well...” said Kuon, gazing down at the bowl at his feet. There were still some faint traces of mashed up medicinal plants inside it.

There was one question which had always remained with him. When he had been shut away in that prison in the rock, just after Datta Wei had died, and just before the priestesses were going to ask the god's voice to judge Kuon, somebody had saved him. For a long time, he hadn't been able to figure out who that could have been, but then he had wondered if it hadn't been Aqua.

He had no proof. It was just that, among those of his age, she was pretty much the only one he had ever spoken to outside of during fights. Yet when he thought of that girl, with whom he had only had the slightest of connections, actually breaking the rules of the mountain to save him, he couldn't help but reject the idea. For the people of the tribe, the rules were absolute. If you didn't uphold them, you couldn't hope to live. And this wasn't something that they gritted their teeth and endured; for those who were going to live their lives in the mountains, this was as natural as the air they breathed.

Those who, just a short while earlier, had hurled jeers at Kuon, but who had, in the end, devoutly accepted the results of the match, were also kith and kin, in whom the customs and the way of life of the mountains were rooted just as firmly as they were in Kuon. It was because of that, because of a longing for home that made it hard to part from it, or perhaps because of an obsessive love that prevented parting, that he had set out to return to this land.

Under normal circumstances, it should be absolutely impossible for someone to help another escape when they had been locked in the rocky prison, and were awaiting God's judgement. And yet, among Kuon's acquaintances, there was already someone who had broken the rules of the great mountains.

That person had spoken lies to lay a trap for a man from the same household, and because of that, the head of the family had lost his life. Yet far from acknowledging his own duplicity, he had spun more lies and had pushed the blame onto the one he had tried to ensnare earlier.

Needless to say, it was Diu Wei.

Kuon had been trapped, blamed, and locked away in the rocky prison. That night, having lost his freedom, he had struggled, screamed, pleaded, then, finally, wept.

Then how about Diu? How had he spent that night? Had been satisfied, now that the 'unwanted child' he had always hated had finally been brought down? While Kuon was crying and screaming, did Diu lie in his own bed, gloating?

No.

Kuon knew. At this point in time, he understood it so well, it hurt.

Diu was anything but impious. Just like Kuon and the others in this land, he was a warrior living within Tei Tahra's divine protection. He spoke words of joy and celebration when Tei Tahra granted them a good hunt, and if an enemy invaded, he would fight with courage and to the death, offering his soul to their god. That was the kind of man he was.
And because of that...

Diu Wei must have been in a similar state to Kuon. Although he lay down, he could not sleep. He had done something that meant he could no longer face Tei Tahra. On top of that, because of it, he had caused the death of his own father. He must have been in pain. He must have been caught in sorrow and regrets. And also... again like Kuon, he must have been afraid. And that was why, just before night turned to dawn, he might have helped Kuon escape.

He had laid the blame of his own crimes on Kuon, so perhaps, by releasing him, he had hoped to lighten the guilt and terror weighing on his heart.

Freeing Kuon was an act that also broke the rules. In order to save himself, Diu had broken another taboo.

''After you left, it was almost frightening how Diu continued practising day and night, as though he was possessed by the Spirits of battle'' – Aqua had said.

He had probably had no choice but to do so.

He had no choice but to throw himself entirely into something that would help shake off the ever-present fear that held him in its coils. And he had no choice but to prove that he was someone who would offer his very blood and flesh to Tei Tahra. That was why he had been so desperate to earn the position as Raga. Just like how, even after he had left them, Kuon had yearned to fulfil the prophesy that he would one day “bring gold to the mountains.”

...All of this was nothing more than Kuon's own speculation.

But when he thought about it that way, his feelings of hatred and blame towards Diu had already vanished from within him. In their place, he felt a sort of sympathy, a certain feeling of closeness. There was someone else who tasted the same sense of alienation and fear that Kuon had experienced for so long.

“I had to prove it.” When Kuon answered Mist, it was not with his real thoughts. “I had to show everyone that unlike Raga, my determination went beyond fighting to the death. Otherwise, even if I'd killed him, I probably couldn't have convinced everyone, deep down.”

“Oh, it looks like you've started thinking about some complicated things,” Mist slurped some wheat porridge through a wooden tube that hung at her waist. She held it out to Kuon.

While holding up his hand to refuse it, Kuon said,

“Granny Mist, there's something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Why did you bring Sarah to the prison?”

“Wasn't that topic already discussed ''in'' the prison?”

“You heard the story from Sarah, and because it got you interested, you decided to go together with her. But Granny, even though you said that, Atall doesn't have anything to do with these mountains. And yet...”

“Kuon, we are small beings caught in the embrace of great plans. God is beside us, but His voice does not whisper to us about every little thing. I do not base my every thought on the voice of our Lord, the mountain god. I have my own eyes, my own ears, and my own head to think.”

Kuon had no idea what that meant, or if that even answered his question in the first place. Seeing his sullen expression as he stayed silent, Mist cackled shrilly with laughter.

“And here I only just praised you a minute ago, but that's all you've got? Kuon, I'll reveal just a bit of the answer to you. Not all of us have clouded eyes. Take me in particular: there are things that I see simply because the light barely reaches these eyes of mine.”

Did that mean that Mist had things she divined for herself? Kuon stared at the wooden tube at her waist. If she offered it to him again, he intended to accept it, but it remained hanging on her belt the entire time.

After that, time passed in the blink of an eye.

First of all, the day after the duel, another judgement was performed over whether Kuon had 'led Datta Wei into a trap.'

The result was his complete acquittal. No doubt, in the confusion of the battlefield, Diu Wei had misunderstood what had happened.

Although from Kuon's point of view, this was the correct and obvious ruling, if he looked at things from a slightly wiser standpoint, he definitely believed that if he had waited for a judgement immediately after Datta's death – if he had not fled from the mountains – his fate would have been to end up condemned to burn at the stake.

Here was the true meaning of Mist's words. The voice of God was not omnipotent. The divine voice, which should have been able to quieten and to lead the people, was sometimes controlled by the will of the people.

Afterwards, in the village, the men hurried about making preparations for going into battle, while the women had their hands full getting provisions ready.

About five hundred of the men would be leaving.

This was more than half the active soldiers from the units. On average, there were about fifty soldiers to a household in the mountains, although a household like the Wei included about two hundred warriors. But even if they were called that, most of the men in the settlement were engaged in work as hunters or fishermen, and those who specialised exclusively in warfare were only Raga, and the special guards who protected the priesthood.

Which meant that nearly half of the male working force would be leaving, but in these mountains, it had always been normal for the elderly who had retired from the forefront, and the women who kept the homes, to pick up bows and guns whenever intruders broke into their sacred mountain land.

Besides which, the heads of unit did not all join the reinforcements. Instead, most of them actually stayed in the village, having selected those who ranked next after them to act as the leaders of their platoons. The heads would need to draw up plans for hunting and fishing in the village, which was about to become short-handed, and that would be a burden far greater than heading into battle.

One after another, the men had put their names forward in order to make up the five hundred. This was, after all, a holy fight, sanctioned by Tei Tahra's divine will.

Achievements earned in this battle would surely be equal to that of defending the great mountains against foreign enemies, or perhaps the glory achieved would be even greater. It wasn't as though the mountains were continuously under attack, and the young men who had not yet had an opportunity to offer their blood and flesh to Tei Tahra were especially eager to volunteer, and among those whose application was rejected, there were many who wept tears of bitter regret.

The problem was horses.

There were horses within the great mountains, but not that many. If they gathered all the ones from the village at the foot of the mountains, they would have no more than two hundred. Yet crossing the Kesmai Plains without horses would take several times more days that Kuon and Sarah had needed. There was no way of knowing what the current situation was for Lord Leo, but from the point it had been at when they had left, it was obvious that they could not afford to leisurely take their time.

Which was why Kuon had the horses which had already been gathered be brought together, and decided to lead an advance party of two hundred riders. The remaining three hundred men would travel on foot. Sarah offered to guide them.

Apart from the meetings at which this plan was proposed, Kuon at first barely spoke to anyone in the village of his birth. To start with, there was no one for him to get closer to.

There were still some, even now, who looked at him with hostility, or who loathed him for being 'unwanted spawn' with mixed and foreign blood, but Kuon now held the position of one who had proven Tei Tahra's judgement with his own body. As I have mentioned repeatedly, the voice of God was all that was righteous on the mountain, and so the ill will and animosity towards Kuon had already considerably softened. Simply put, they were probably puzzled as to how best to approach him now.

Within all that, it was the village's children who were the first to draw up to him.

They simply felt admiration for someone strong, and when Kuon defeated Raga, their interest in himwas unparalleled. On the first day, they watched his every move from a distance, but on the next day, they shyly came up to him with the swords and spears that were used during training.

“Can you teach us to fight?” they begged him.

While Kuon was wondering what to do, Aqua Holo, who just happened to be passing by, called out to him teasingly,
“Why don't you do it? Weren't you good at training the children from the Wei?”

“I'm busy.”

“Oh, really? After the meeting yesterday, you seemed to be completely free though.”

With the children as a point of contact, their parents and older brothers – not their actual family members, but their elders within the same unit – also shortened the distance with Kuon and, on the third day, the senior brothers of the Wei, with whom he had once stood shoulder-to-shoulder, invited him to go hunting. Since a large amount of provisions needed to be prepared, a large number of households were currently heading out to bring down prey.

Aqua, who had earlier made fun of Kuon, was also one of the hunters.

'She' would also be joining the fighting as a member of the Holo. From Kuon had heard, nowadays, 'her' skill at archery was inferior to none of the men in the village. Which was only to be expected, since 'she' had been chosen to join the ashinaga hunt.

“That guy is already an excellent hunter. It'll be 'his' first time in battle, but given that it's 'him', I wouldn't be surprised even if 'he' took three enemy heads with 'his' bow.”

On the one hand, there were voices which sung 'her' praises.

“Is 'her' heart and soul already that of a man? What a shame.”

On the other, there was also a scene in which a husband murmured absentmindedly as he gazed at Aqua's firm waist, only to shut his mouth after receiving a terrifying glare from his wife.

Since the person 'herself' had decided to live as a man, since the priestesses had recognised this, and given that 'she' also joined in with hunting and combat, within the great mountains, Aqua was no longer a 'woman'. Having 'her' own family was of course out of the question, but 'she' could not have relations with a man either. These too were the 'rules'. If, for example, Aqua tempted a man with 'her' womanly features, an order might be given to 'her' from the priestesses or the chief to cut off 'her' breasts.

“What a waste.”

It wasn't only men who held that thought; Sarah also shared it.

“Even though she's such a beauty. If she showed herself in a town, she could lead any rich man or noble by the nose. But in spite of that, to have to cut off her breasts...”

“Not right this second. And anyway, looking at it, it doesn't seem like it's going to come up for a while... Oww!”

Kuon, who had been casting repeated glances at Aqua's figure in the distance, had his foot firmly trod on by Sarah.

“What was that for!”

“A man was watching a 'man' with strange eyes.”

As the two of them embarked on one of their usual quarrels, the people of the tribe watched them curiously for a while. Apart from in his childhood, it was a new sight for them to see Kuon with his face flushed beet-red, and his emotions laid bare.

The day of departure finally arrived.

Early in the morning, the young priestesses performed a dance in prayer for victory. The elder priestess, Mist, placed portions of armour in the fire and observed the cracks that formed.

“A good omen,” she announced.

When the armoured warriors, with their faces daubed bright red from their war patterns, heard this, their excitement rose in crescendo.

When Kuon was saddling his horse, Mist and one of the shamans approached from behind him.

“Take this,” the shaman held out a small bottle. The liquid that shook within it was the colour of dark dye dissolved in honey.

The shaman explained that it was horned snake poison in which a decoction of several medicinal herbs had been added. It was poisonous to humans but, at the same time, it was also used to neutralise the poison of the ashinagas that lived on the outskirts of the great mountains. It was this medicine which had saved Sarah's life when she fell unconscious after being attacked by an ashinaga.

By rights, only a shaman could handle those kinds of poisons and medicine. Since even carrying it around was said to be unadvisable, even the ashinaga hunters like Aqua's group had not had any. Kuon had no idea why he was being made an exception.

“It is tribute to the warrior who defeated Raga,” the shaman, half of whose face was covered with a cloth, spoke calmly. “We cannot leave the great mountains. You should use this if you are attacked on the way by ashinaga. Although there is no guarantee that it will work perfectly.”

Since Mist nodded at him to “take it,” Kuon decided to accept it with gratitude.

When everyone had finally finished with their preparations,

“This fight had been decided by our lord, the mountain god. Do not be concerned with your lives; the souls of those who fought bravely will be called to God's side.”

Most of the men who now had Mist's voice at their back, and who had been raised in the cradle of the mountains, would be leaving them for the first time in their lives. According to the plan, five hundred soldiers would leave the mountains at the same time, but the two hundred on horseback would go north across the Kesmai Plains without waiting for the for those on foot.

Kuon descended the mountains while bathed in the light of the early morning sun, and urged his horse towards the entrance to the sun-baked Kesmai Plains.

Yet a mere five days after leaving the mountains, his group was caught in an unexpected ambush.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-06-08T16:40:33Z

Renuac: /* Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* June 1, 2018 - volume 3 complete
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue - chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface - chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">
=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Child of the Land]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Duellists]]
</div>
</div>
|}
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Illustrations

2018-06-08T16:39:25Z

Renuac:

<gallery>
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|'''Front Cover'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_298.jpg|'''Back Cover'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_002.png|'''Cover page'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_003.jpg|'''Colour Page 1'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_004.png|'''Colour Page 2'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_005.jpg|'''Colour Page 3'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_006.jpg|'''Colour Page 4'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_039.png|'''Page 39'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_085.png|'''Page 85'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_169.png|'''Page 169'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_179.png|'''Page 179'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_231.png|'''Page 231'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_279.png|'''Page 279'''
</gallery>

<noinclude>
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|-
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 279.png

2018-06-08T16:39:20Z

Renuac:

Page 279

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 231.png

2018-06-08T16:39:02Z

Renuac:

Page 231

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 179.png

2018-06-08T16:38:46Z

Renuac:

Page 179

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 169.png

2018-06-08T16:38:29Z

Renuac:

Page 169

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 085.png

2018-06-08T16:38:11Z

Renuac:

Page 85

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 039.png

2018-06-08T16:37:18Z

Renuac:

Page 39

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 006.jpg

2018-06-08T16:37:00Z

Renuac:

Colour page 4

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 005.jpg

2018-06-08T16:36:41Z

Renuac:

Colour page 3

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 004.png

2018-06-08T16:36:24Z

Renuac:

Colour page 2

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 298.jpg

2018-06-08T16:35:44Z

Renuac:

Back cover

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 003.jpg

2018-06-08T16:33:49Z

Renuac:

Colour page 1

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2 Illustrations

2018-06-08T16:33:29Z

Renuac:

<gallery>
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|'''Front Cover'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_331.jpg|'''Back Cover'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_002.png|'''Cover page'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_003.png|'''Colour Page 1'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_004.jpg|'''Colour Page 2'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_005.jpg|'''Colour Page 3'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_006.jpg|'''Colour Page 4'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_007.jpg|'''Colour Page 5'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_008.jpg|'''Colour Page 6'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_029.png|'''Page 29'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_051.png|'''Page 51'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_117.png|'''Page 117'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_181.png|'''Page 181'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_197.png|'''Page 197'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_249.png|'''Page 249'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_277.png|'''Page 277'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_296.png|'''Page 296'''
</gallery>

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

File:Leo Attiel Den v04 002.png

2018-06-08T16:32:04Z

Renuac:

Cover page

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2 Illustrations

2018-06-08T16:29:40Z

Renuac:

<gallery>
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|'''Front Cover'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_331.jpg|'''Back Cover'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_002.jpg|'''Cover page'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_003.png|'''Colour Page 1'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_004.jpg|'''Colour Page 2'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_005.jpg|'''Colour Page 3'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_006.jpg|'''Colour Page 4'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_007.jpg|'''Colour Page 5'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_008.jpg|'''Colour Page 6'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_029.png|'''Page 29'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_051.png|'''Page 51'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_117.png|'''Page 117'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_181.png|'''Page 181'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_197.png|'''Page 197'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_249.png|'''Page 249'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_277.png|'''Page 277'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02_296.png|'''Page 296'''
</gallery>

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Illustrations

2018-06-08T16:25:48Z

Renuac:

<gallery>
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|'''Front Cover'''
Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04_298.jpg|'''Back Cover'''
</gallery>

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-06-01T07:08:25Z

Renuac: /* Updates */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* June 1, 2018 - volume 3 complete
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue - chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface - chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
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|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|border|230px]]
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<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">
=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
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|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|border|230px]]
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<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Child of the Land]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
</div>
</div>
|}
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-06-01T07:07:51Z

Renuac: /* Updates */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* June 1, 2018 - volume 3 complete
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue-chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface-chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">
=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Child of the Land]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
</div>
</div>
|}
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3 Afterword

2018-06-01T07:04:41Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Afterword== While I was writing this book, my main PC broke down, but although I ran into quite a few heart-stopping situations in which my data almost went flying away, I..."

==Afterword==

While I was writing this book, my main PC broke down, but although I ran into quite a few heart-stopping situations in which my data almost went flying away, I somehow managed to get to the point where I’m writing this ‘Afterword’ on my dust-covered secondary PC... Continuing on from the last time, and still filled with suffering (mostly the author’s), ‘LeoDen’ has reached its third volume.

Previously, Lord Leo just barely managed to protect his country from the intrigues of major powers. And he then determined that the next target he needed to swing his sword at was not a group of foreigners but those in his own homeland, Atall. From here on, we will gradually be seeing the historical events that earned him the distinction of being later known as the “Headhunting Prince”, and also the “Headless Prince”.

What kind of destiny did he follow, this boy who threw himself down spread-eagled in the grass in the opening of this story? And why does posterity treat him like an utmost villain?

Dear readers, please be sure to check it out for yourselves.

Now then.

Recently, along with writing the main series, I’ve been made to write – er, no, I’ve been given the opportunity to write short stories and vignettes as shop-exclusive extras or for the web as a way of promoting sales.

In part to sort them into order for myself, here is a list of the stories that I have written so far:

1: Vignette: A story about Florrie trying her best to congratulate Leo on his thirteenth birthday.

2: Vignette: Set in Conscon Temple, a duel (?) between Kuon and Sarah.

3: Vignette: After battling at the temple, a story about how Camus lost a certain spear contest.

4: Short Story: A story about Leo and Zanakk, a ‘drunkard’ who was one of Claude’s subordinates.

1 and 2 were shop-exclusives extras (currently unavailable – it doesn’t seem like there’s any point asking at the bookstore), 3 was featured on Dengeki Bunko’s NicoNico web channel, and 4 was published in the Dengeki Bunko Magazine, vol.44.

If you’re interested, please don’t forget to check again at a later date, in case I have the chance to write more.

With that, see you next time!

--- Sugihara Tomonori

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3 Chapter6

2018-06-01T07:04:36Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair== ===Part 1=== “Kuon? Kuon, 'the fugitive from the mountain'!” One mountain man was enraged at the name. Hearing it said, the others were a..."

==Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair==

===Part 1===

“Kuon? Kuon, 'the fugitive from the mountain'!”

One mountain man was enraged at the name. Hearing it said, the others were all equally surprised, but that man's eyes were noticeably filled with fury.

“How dare you just come back here, you and your filthy blood, you fucking betrayer! To think that hunting game would lead to meeting a friend's enemy!”

It seemed that Datta must have been a friend of his. The man drew the broad sword at his waist.

“Don't move from there! By the horn of the bronze bull that Tei Tahra rides, I'll cut you down along with the evil spirit possessing you.”

He strode towards Kuon, his gleaming blade brandished over his head. Before Kuon had time to react,

“Kuon isn't a betrayer!” Sarah, who had only just managed to stand up, cried out.

Being yelled out face-to-face by a clearly foreign woman left the man considerably startled. Sarah opened her mouth even wider,

“Kuon never betrayed anyone. And first of all, there wouldn't been any point to his killing Datta! That man called Diu Wei set a trap. If you can't even understand...”

“Stop it, Sarah!”

This time, it was Kuon who yelled as he seized her. Sarah frantically broke free from his hand which was gripping her shoulder.

“What? Are you going to just let him take your life because of a misunderstanding? You can't possibly have come all the way here just to get yourself killed?”

“Don't interfere. I'll explain it myself.”

“Weren't you going to run away just now? You're the one who shouldn't interfere. I've been pissed off at that Diu person even since I heard your story, Kuon! Now, get Diu here. I'm going to let him have it.”

“Sarah!”

Just when Kuon reached to grab hold of Sarah's shoulder again, her posture unexpectedly collapsed completely. Taken by surprise, Kuon's hand let go of her, and Sarah fell sideways to the ground. Kuon hastily crouched down and lifted up her head. Her entire face was drenched from large beads of sweat. Diluted blood was mixed in within them. Her breathing was shallow and uneven.

While Kuon had lost his calm, unsure what to do, Aqua knelt by Sarah's feet and rolled up the hem of her skirt without asking permission.

There were several wounds puncturing Sarah's slender ankle. There was less blood than might have been expected, but what there was plenty of was a viscous, dark green liquid that was stuck to the puncture marks. Kuon could not stop himself from moaning when he saw it.

“She's been poisoned by the ashinaga,” said Aqua.

Kuon shouted at 'her' almost on reflex.

“Medicine... Don't you have an antidote!”

“There isn't any antidote that works against ashinaga poison,” Aqua's reply was perfectly calm. “If one of the hunters had been poisoned, we could have given them into the care of the shamans. But even then, they wouldn't be sure to be saved.”

The blood instantly drained from Kuon's face.

Sarah's eyes were closed as she gasped weakly for breath, and her earlier, reckless energy seemed almost impossible to believe. It looked like her voice could no longer even make a sound.

“P-Please,” Kuon pleaded in a trembling voice, “please take Sarah... this woman to the shamans. Sarah has nothing to do with my situation. So...”

“We've no reason to help someone who has nothing to do with us,” the man who had brandished a broad sword earlier laughed scornfully. But with a shake of the head, Aqua disagreed.

“Are you insane, Older Brother Koru?”

Aqua and him were not blood siblings, but that way of referring to him was probably because they were warriors from the same household and shared the same family name.

“Even if it costs them their life, a warrior's duty is to drive back those who try to invade the mountain. But this woman was injured by the prey we were chasing. What's wrong with at least giving her to the shamans to take care of?”

“It happened because that woman got in the way of our hunt,” the man called Koru, who seemed about thirty, squared his shoulders and shouted. “This is Kuon, the murderer whose despicable trap killed Datta, even though he'd always looked after him. Since that woman is with him, she's just as guilty. Her being poisoned by an ashinaga is Lord Tei Tahra's will.”

“Brother, that's...”

“Shut up, Aqua. You might be the head of the Holo's daughter, but you're no more than a newcomer to the unit. How dare a woman answer back to her older brother?”

In venting his anger, Koru provoked Aqua to utter fury. The circlets on 'her' arms clanged as 'she' strode up to 'her' 'older brother', 'her' slender face red with rage.

“Older Brother Koru, you've made three mistakes. The first was to act as though you know God's will even though you aren't a priest. The second was to talk as if this woman was a criminal. In these mountains, deciding who is guilty of a crime is the duty of the priestesses, who can hear God's voice. And finally, you treated me – a member of the Holo – like a woman. Not only did you spit on the Holo family, your words also sullied Lord Tei Tahra by misunderstanding his nature,” Aqua declared in a single breath.

The man called Koru went pale and could find nothing to answer. At that point, the man in armour, who appeared to be the leader of the group of hunters, pulled on his reins.

“If we stay here, we'll be attacked by another ashinaga. We'll take the woman to the mountains. As for Kuon, there's no other choice but to leave anything about him to the head priestess,” he declared his decision.

Several of the hunters hurriedly started to dismember the corpse of the armoured spider, while in the meantime, the men from the tribe took possession of Kuon's sword and of the gun that was still in Sarah's hand. Kuon lifted Sarah onto his back before anyone ordered him to do so, and started to climb out of the valley with his former companions.

Sarah was light. He wondered how such a small body could have crossed Allion's mountains without a single word of complaint, or followed him on the journey through the Kesmai Plains.

Just before sunset, they finally arrived at the hut the hunters were using. He laid Sarah down; her breathing was even more ragged than it had been earlier. Seeing her shaking hands, Kuon wanted to wrap them up in his own, but as soon as they arrived at the hut, Aqua tied up his feet, and he was placed far apart from Sarah.

“There should a shaman at the nearby meditation grounds,” said one of the hunters as he left the hut.

“Don't move,” Koru Holo bared his teeth at Kuon, who had been thrown into a corner of the hut. “Just let me see you even try to call in evil spirits. I'll kill the woman right away.”

Kuon didn't say anything in reply. Even if his feet had not been bound, he had never had the slightest intention of moving from where he was.

After what seemed like an eternity, the man who had left the hut returned with a shaman.

The shaman whore long robes, the hem of which had been dyed red, while strings of shells, animal horns or shiny minerals picked up in the mountain jingled and clanged as they hung from his neck down to his chest. His flowing, unkempt hair was partly white. His forehead and eyes were almost entirely hidden by a wide cloth wound around them, and, as though to replace them, a single large eye had been drawn in the centre of that cloth.

Generally speaking, those who conveyed God's voice to the people were all women and priestesses, while the priests, who belonged to the same priesthood, as well as the shaman were all men. Yet it was not as humans that they served by the god's side, as it was said that even though they were human, they all shared a divine protection. Just like the priestesses, they spent their time overseeing the various ceremonies, and, within the many hermitages that were scattered across the mountains, they underwent rigorous rites to ward against the incursion of evil. They also studied medicine and poison.

The shaman who entered the hut was followed by two priestesses. Both were teenage girls, and they had probably been entrusted to the shaman as they were in the middle of their training. They wore long, plain robes, and not a single ornament. Being close in age to Kuon, they were acquaintances of his, but right now, he didn't have time to care about it.

The shaman knelt by Sarah's side and first examined her wounds. He stretched his hand out to the priestesses, and one of the girls produced a bundle of medicinal plants from a leather bag. The shaman covered the wounds with them.

“Ashinaga poison does not have any specific antidote,” he said to no one in particular, “so there's no choice but to use the poison from a horned snake on it.”

From his words, you might expect that horned snake poison would have a neutralising effect, but in fact, it too was a substance that could snatch a person's life away from the mountain god. When the two poisons mixed inside someone's body, they transformed into a third type of poison, causing the patient to suffer a raging fever, which would last all night. The odds were fifty-fifty that they would survive, and even if they did, they might have to offer as consecration their eyes, tongue or the ability to move any of their limbs. In other words, they might lose their eyesight, speech, or be affected in their arms and legs.

Kuon held his breath and did utter a sound.

“We don't have everything we need here. Let's carry her back to the hermitage,” said the shaman and, with the help of the hunters, he had Sarah carried out from the hut.

Naturally, Kuon could not go with them.

Wandering around the mountains after sundown was extremely dangerous, so they would stay at the hut until the next day. Kuon lay stretched out, his feet still tied together. He couldn't sleep. Even if he didn't want to think about it, he couldn't help but worry about Sarah. He would feel a lot easier if he just gnawed his way through the rope and ran to the shaman's place, but that would just cause unnecessary antagonism, and they might halt Sarah's medical treatment.

And so, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and wait for time to pass.

“Are you stupid?”

He suddenly noticed that Sarah was looking down at hime from above. Her hair, which was longer than it had been when they had met, tickled the tip of his nose as she spoke.

“Did you think I was going to die? Too bad for you. Fate and God love me. That's completely different from some stray dog.”

''Beeh!'' The image of her sticking out her tongue rapidly receded from before Kuon's eyes. He was going to chase after her, but his legs wouldn't move.

''Right, I was tied up...'' The moment Kuon realised that, he woke up. He must have dozed off at some point, and, of course, that image of Sarah had been no more than an illusion appearing in a dream.

The next morning, the party left the hut.

Although his legs had been untied, Kuon was surrounded front and back by brawny hunters. When he asked about Sarah, the only answer he received was that “there's been no communication from the Master Shaman.”

Currently, he had no choice but to follow them. They continued in silence along a path which was only discernible to the eyes of hunters who were very well used to the mountains.

At every one of the mountain passes, there were watchtowers for guards on lookout. Warriors were stationed there in shifts and every time the party passed by, they called out to them admiringly: “You've brought down some splendid prey!” Yet Koru and the others wore complicated expressions. The dead ashinaga – the dead armoured spider that they were carrying had been killed by Kuon and Sarah. But when the warriors on watch realised that Kuon was among the party, their attention immediately shifted and they started raising a fuss.

“Kuon the fugitive?”

“Yeah, that's Kuon, the guy who got possessed by evil!”

The warriors all made the sign to invoke Tei Tahra's protection. Kuon had survived ceremonial execution despite being possessed by evil spirits and betraying Datta, and all of them viewed him as an ominous existence.

“Tei Tahra, I implore your protection!”

“No, this is clearly God's will. Lord Tei Tahra's wooden staff has chased down evil!”

The party crossed the summits one after another, as voices rained down incessantly upon them. Just before sunset, they struck a course that detoured to the east of the mountain peaks, and lead Kuon to a cleft that opened up in a sheer cliff face.

Kuon felt a chill strong enough to make him his shiver for a moment.

He remembered. On the other side of that boulder that was shaped like a beast's raised claws was the rocky prison in which criminals were incarcerated. In the past, right after Diu Wei had screamed that “You killed my father!”, Kuon had been locked up within it.

There were ceremonial grounds nearby. Whenever criminals were thrown into the rock of imprisonment, the priestesses performed a divination by fire to determine their guilt.

Entering the cleft meant having to stoop, but although the interior was wide, the ceiling got lower and lower the further you went in. The very deepest part had been fitted with prison bars, and Kuon, whose arms and legs had both been tied up this time, was thrown into it.

He was left there, alone.

This did not mean that his guilt would be determined right then and there, but that for the time being, Kuon's presence would be reported to the village, and that he would remain locked up while waiting for the head of the tribe and the priestesses to reach a decision.

Night fell once more. As he lay where he was, Kuon's body felt heavier than usual. He was exhausted from having walked all day along the steep mountain paths, and, since he had not been given anything to eat at all that day, he was intensely hungry. On top of that, he was lying on bare rock, and the cold, damp surface was gradually leeching away his body heat.

Yet Kuon quickly forgot his overwhelming exhaustion and hunger, as well as his frigidly cold body.

''I came back. I actually came back?''

Because of worrying about Sarah, he hadn't really thought about it the previous night, but he was, undeniably, back in the birthplace that he was supposed to have abandoned. Once he realised that, Kuon felt dizzy.

In replacement of the physical pain he had felt, a shadow crept up to his mind. It was so icily cold that it made him shiver. The shadow stretched out its clammy hand and stroked him. Kuon shuddered. This was the same stagnant ''sludge'' which had assaulted him just before entering the mountains.

“Ah...” A short, involuntary breath escaped from him.

''Its'' mouth curved into a smile.

''Getting yourself locked up in the same place as before – you really are one stupid bastard, Kuon. What have you been doing and what's been going on for you in between the two? Was it just a dream? Maybe I never actually took a single step out of this prison, and just had a really long dream.''

Right from the very start, what Kuon had done had been stupid.

Needless to say, he had not crossed the Kesmai Plains and returned to the Fangs out of nostalgia for his birthplace. The conversation in the restaurant that he had with Leo Attiel had stuck in his mind. The prince had pestered him into telling stories of the past, then Sarah had explained to him that the prince had wanted to get help from Kuon's old home.

At first, he had though that was just stupid. Was Leo really so cornered that he had to seriously consider something so ridiculous?

Kuon took pride in his own strength. Moreover, he believed that whatever the battle, it would be over once they took the head of the enemy general. The old Kuon would never have gone to the trouble of crossing the Kesmai Plains; instead, he would have ridden directly to Olt Rose to take down the 'enemy general' that was Darren. If Leo was having trouble, then removing the source of that trouble – Darren – would spell Leo's victory.

─ But Kuon had learned a lot at Conscon and after it. He realised that some things were impossible to achieve with nothing more than his own sword.

''We need allies.''

All of a sudden, Kuon hadn't been able to stay still anymore.

''Right, I'll go back to the mountains. Once the priestesses hear Tei Tahra's voice clearly, there's no way I'll be accused of any crime. And then, I can gather willing allies and the prince will be saved.''

Considering Kuon's current situation, that had been some truly misplaced optimism.

But no, even back then, calling it optimism would be wrong, and instead, it was a feeling of needing to hurry.

''Should I go?''

Once that thought had occurred to him, his heart was filled with a such a fierce sense of urgency that it felt strange to think that he could have left the mountain for so long. As soon as 'should I go' turned into ''I have to go'', he had crossed the Kesmai Plains as though he were chasing after that feeling.

Even so, once the mountains where he was born had been before his eyes, Kuon was struck with a different kind of emotion, albeit one that stemmed from the same root. For Kuon, it was exactly as Sarah had said.

“I'm scared” – And at the same time as he felt that emotion, Kuon could no longer comprehend why he had come back.

This has been mentioned plenty of times already, but he was not a pure-blood from the mountain. Because of that one fact, and just as he had said earlier, even his relatives had looked away from him. Yet Kuon was supposed to have been set free from that conflict. He was supposed to have obtained freedom, and to have escaped from the malice that was about to make him take the blame for a crime; from the guilt of “not being a pure-blood,” and the shackles and loneliness that went with it; and also from his fear.

So why did he come back? What was that sense of urgency that had made him feel that he had to go? Why had been able to make this decision so easily?

Unable to set his emotions free or to understand them, in the end, he had been thrown into the same prison where he had been less than a year ago, and he was as frightened now as he was back then.

''Whywhywhy?''

He trembled in terror. Once he started shaking, he could no longer gain control of himself.

''Was it just to die? Was it just to go out of my way to be killed?''

“That's exactly right,” a voice answered.

Without Kuon realising it, the stagnant ''sludge'' with its viscous hands had taken on a clear form. He trembled even more violently than before.

Even though he tried not to see that figure, and tried not hear that voice, it was in vain. This was a creature that did not exist outside of Kuon's perception.

The ''sludge'' now had pure white skin. In the darkness of the stony prison, only its eyes were burning a brilliant, bright red as they started intently at Kuon.

It was Gosro. The image of him as he had been after he had lost human intelligence and reasoning, and turned into a beast, hung over Kuon.

“You came back simply to die,” Gosro whispered, his breath carrying a strangely fishy smell. “Hey, boy. Hey, Kuon? I haven't forgotten. What you did with your own hands.”

Gosro stretched a white arm and grasped Kuon's hand. The boy's back arched under pressure from a strength that seemed unbelievable in an elderly man.

“There's no way I could forget. You pierced me through with the sword you were holding. And then you threw me into that burning hot fire. That means you chose to make me into a sacrifice so you could live as part of the mountain. But even so, you ran away?” Gosro's bright red tongue protruded from his mouth as he smiled. “You idiot. Like hell you could escape. Because if you could, why did I die? Why did you jab your sword through my flesh and bones and entrails?”

“Turning someone into a sacrifice means that you've agreed to suffer the same fate one day.”

Another Gosro peered upside down into Kuon's face. But no, it was yet another, lying flat to the ground, who brought his lips close to Kuon's ear.

“You should have realised 'who' I am by now, right? I, who was run through by all those swords and then burned in the flames, I became one with the mountain, the spirits and with Tei Tahra. That's right, Kuon. You didn't come here of your own will. It was me. I called you, Kuon.”

“Isn't it the fate you accepted yourself? The fate of offering your blood and flesh and soul to the mountain.”

“Say, Kuon,” at some point, the Gosro who covered him from the front had turned into Kuon's own figure. His skin was dyed chalk white, and his eyes had turned so red that it looked like tears of blood might start trickling from them at any moment. When the Kuon whose hands and feet were bound opened his eyes wide, swords were piercing the pure white Kuon from every direction. Next, a red dot of light flickered at his feet, which turned within an instant into a raging fire that swallowed his body whole.

“Help me!” Kuon cried. And struggled. He tried his hardest to swing his tied up limbs and shake of the images of Gosro and of himself being engulfed by flames. Yet as he squirmed and floundered, he, who could strike fear into the enemy even as a lone swordsman when he held a weapon, looked exactly like a child struggling to go against an adult who was telling him off. Seeing Kuon in that state, the Gosros burst out laughing.

“Help me! Help me! Help me!”

Kuon continued to scream as he rolled this way and that. Eventually, his own laughter started to mingle in chorus with that of the Gosros.

===Part 2===

After the death of Bishop Rogress, Conscon Temple hailed a man called Neil as its new leader.

He had originally served as a monastic assistant to an abbot, and was only just in his forties. He had close-cropped hair, and he was always mindful about being clean and tidy. He was a man whose emotions easily showed on his face, who laughed often, and who cried in times of hardship along with his friends and disciples. As such, he was a complete contrast to Bishop Rogress, who had always seemed as solid as a rock, but Neil's earnest personality inspired the love and respect of all.

It was said that he had been a shepherd when he was young, but that he had taken up the sword to protect his native land.

Recently, after completing his holy duties in the morning, his daily routine had been to walk around the mountain. The temple was currently in the middle of being restored. Neil halted his steps when he came upon several men busy rebuilding the main gate, which had been damaged by Allion's artillery fire.

During the battle, Neil had been one of those at this very gate. Gun in hand, he had desperately fought back. The ruins of the gate had been sprayed with blood, and Neil crossed himself before it as a way of paying his respects to the many who had fallen there – be they friend or foe – and to give thanks for his own survival.

About half of the Personal Guards that Leo had left at Conscon were pitching in to help reconstruct the buildings and gates. The more people helping, the better, and Neil thanked them for it. Still, the Personal Guards had their own purposes, and as for what the remaining half of the soldiers who were not helping with the reconstruction work were doing, they were spending their days drenched in sweat as they cut down trees to the back of the temple, and levelled a large patch of ground.

Camus, who was both Bishop Neil's assistant and a member of the Personal Guards, had taken several of the Guards with him and gone to Allion, and was currently there buying airships. Apparently, the prince had ordered him to do so. The ground which was being cleared and levelled was intended as a training space for airship pilots, and Neil had further been informed that there were plans to one day also purchase ships capable of holding several dozen people at a time.

''The prince is full of energy'', Neil thought admiringly.

Since he had learned from Bishop Rogress, he had absolutely no objection to increasing their weapons in order to defend themselves. Rogress had admirably demonstrated with his own life that one could not defend one's beliefs without power.

Yet even while Neil admired the vitality of youth, he could not help but feel suspicious. News of Atall's situation had reached the temple, and Neil was aware that the prince had picked a fight with a vassal-lord, and that as a result, Leo's position within the country had grown precarious.

The Personal Guards had been left at the temple because of that, and the fact that they were getting together something that could be called an 'air force' was proof that although he had temporarily been defeated, Leo was planning to mount a counter-attack at some point.

It was a fact that Leo Attiel was a unparalleled ally for the temple but, at the same time, Neil feared that his very existence might become dangerous to them.

''It's fine as long as this is just meant to be a show of power to the vassals. But if it goes beyond that and he is actually harbouring a frightening ambition...''

Leo was the second prince. His older brother Branton would one day succeed their father and become ruler. But what if Leo voiced an objection to that? What if he contended that “I deserve to be the sovereign-prince”? And what – if the time came – he intended to ask the temple to support him given their friendly relationship?

''We'll be forced to make a choice. I believe that refusing to get involved in a country's internal power struggle would be the righteous decision, but then there's the fear that if His Highness Leo wins and becomes the next ruler of Atall, our relationship with them will deteriorate.''

Even though they were currently at peace with Allion, he had heard that there were still many who still proclaimed hostile intentions towards the temple. If a rift appeared in their relationship with Atall, then Conscon would be surrounded by enemies on both sides.

''Even if we just want follow God's warnings and live in righteous poverty, simply spreading those teachings to as many as we can... politics and war are never far behind'', Neil lamented.

''And thus, so that no power can threaten us, we unfortunately need 'power'.''

It all came back down to Bishop Rogress' stance on the matter. And so it was that Neil spent his days with unease lurking not so far at the back his mind.

Camus came back a few days later, having apparently managed to purchase six airships. These were ornithopter-type vessels which had been built in the Kingdom of Garbera. In addition to ether repulsion, this model had wings which literally flapped, just like the birds whose shaped it mimicked. Compared to modern ships, with their unmoving wings, it was distinctly old-fashioned. Yet although they were lacking in speed, altitude capacity and flight endurance, their absolutely outstanding in-flight stability and low-cost engines meant that they were still being widely used.

The generic name for ships that floated in the sky was 'dragon stone ships', which came from the fact that the weightless metal which was the main component of airships was made from refining fossilised dragon bones. This refining process flourished within Garbera, and it was said that the make of their airships and the skill of their pilots was a clear cut above all others. It seemed that these ships, which Camus had managed to buy comparatively cheaply, had also originally been used to train new recruits in Garbera.

Moreover, the unfamiliar man he had hired and brought back with him to the temple had once taken part as a pilot in the airship races that were held at festivals and the like in Garbera. Camus intended to set him up as an instructor for everything from maintenance to how to handle the ships.

Training began the very next day. All the young men in the Personal Guards applied for it, and they were as exited as children who had been given new toys.

The first thing the instructor did was to give them a demonstration. The engine made a raspy, metallic sound when the low-altitude ornithopter took off. Appearance-wise, it was modelled on a Steller's sea eagle. Its overal span was about three metres long, and when the men working on rebuilding saw the artificial bird dancing through the sky, they gazed up in fascination. Whether they stared open-mouthed, cheered excitedly or got scared, they too were like children.

“If you pay too much attention to what's above, you'll trip over a branch or stone at your feet,” Neil, who was walking around the mountain that day as well, called out to them in a friendly voice.

At the time, he was headed somewhere else.

While one might have expected that here too, everyone's attention would be held by the airship, a single man was actually giving them all an impassioned speech, the topic of which appeared to be Bishop Rogress. In spite of himself, Neil stopped too stopped to listen,

“He was a truly magnificent man. His pious way of life was so, but it was his way of death that truly moved my heart...”

''His way of death...''

Neil frowned in displeasure. It was just as though the bishop had simply been a warrior.

The man continued about how extraordinary Bishop Rogress' suicide had been. The man had originally come to the temple as a mercenary, and had apparently settled down in one of the villages at the foot of the mountain after establishing a family there. He spoke of how he had seen companions kill themselves on the battlefield because they were so badly injured that they could barely even move.

“At first, it looked like the bishop had fatally slit his own throat with a dagger, but on investigation, it seems that he had stabbed himself in the heart. They say that the dagger had fallen to the floor when the bishop's corpse was found. So in other words, it wasn't a blade which was fixed in place, he actually pierced deep into his own chest with the dagger in his hand. That's not something you could do half-heartedly.”

The bishop had stabbed himself in the heart then had pulled out the blade. It was certainly an extraordinary scene to imagine. Neil unconsciously crossed himself, but as he did so, he felt a strong sense of incongruity. Given that it was Bishop Rogress, he would certainly have been able of going that far, yet Neil did not feel that he necessarily would have done so.

''Did he do it to demonstrate his resolve? His resolve which was literally to die rather than to allow the King of Allion, someone he had once had a close relationship with, to go any further in his tyranny?''

It was Lord Leo who had saved Conscon just before it fell to Allion's attacks. He had rushed from Atall, leading reinforcements, and had even slain Hayden, the enemy commander. But with that, they had only gained a temporary victory, and there was no denying the possibility that the war could have dragged on. Basically, it was Bishop Rogress' suicide which had led Allion to lay down its weapons.

''Right, it was the bishop's death. If he hadn't died...''

The forehead between Neil's eyebrows suddenly twitched and squirmed. A terrifying thought had taken shape in a corner of his mind.

At the around that same time, Leo Attiel was once again spending unquiet days in Guinbar.

''When will Darren make his move?''

His nerves were on edge as, unusually for him, he stayed in one place and helped organise the troops in Savan Roux's castle. Yet, unexpectedly, Darren was bidding his time.

Or perhaps it would be better to say that bidding his time allowed the situation to move in Darren's favour. The story of how Leo had led an army to invade Darham was now being talked about throughout the country. Even the vassal-lords, who had maintained a cautious attitude towards the prince since the events at Conscon, were openly starting to criticise him. Leo had already pegged Oswell as Darren's chief ally, but he was now joined by Tokamakk, whom Leo had seen at the banquet held in Hayden's honour, and Gimlé, the father of Percy's fiancée.

“That permanent army that the prince was loudly insisting on, was it just to eat away at our territories?”

“Since there's been no suitable explanation from His Highness, those troops should be dissolved right now.”

Opinions were lined up against Leo.

His support among the people also visibly started to fall away. The number of spectators at plays staring Leo in the main role were now starting to dwindle. Moreover, since his wedding to Florrie had still not taken place, this in turn was inviting unfortunate rumours that “relations with Allion might turn sour again,” and with it, people once more began talking about how this would all be Leo's fault for having opposed Allion.

Leo had to admit that he had made a mistake. Not knowing when Darren might attack, he had decided to remain in Guinbar, but had allowed Darren to take action in the capital, Tiwana. With no obstacle to hinder him there, he could do as he pleased and was steadily gaining allies and support. And since he was switching positions with Leo, it followed that the prince's side were earning nothing but enemies and ill will.

In spite of this, Leo and Savan gathered soldiers in Guinbar. They needed to remain cautious against Darren yet, ironically, this gave Darren the perfect excuse to legitimately take military action.

“Savan has taken advantage of His Highness Leo's youthful ideals, he's twisted them, and he has won him over to his villainy,” Darren was now saying. “He's pursuing friendly relations with the temple. The prince's religious conversion was also all according to his plan. He's pretending to simply be building spaces for the Cross Faith within Atall, but in actual fact, he's extending his own power. It's the same as with the Personal Guards. Savan seized money and manpower from us, and created his own private militia.”

His powerful assertions didn't stop there.

“The marauders who attacked the prince in the resort area were probably also in his pay. And even now, Savan is continuing to gather soldiers. He is finally revealing his true colours as he prepares to send troops to each of our territories. And for now, his sights are on my Darham. Before now, he fabricated an issue at the quarry and was setting up a trap for me. On top of that, he probably hates me for having seen through him. It's not surprising that the first thing he wants to do is to shut me up, even if that means invading my lands tomorrow.”

His repeated tirades drew public opinion within the capital towards him.

''You bet..''

Leo Attiel was so angry that all the blood in his body seemed to be boiling.

''You bet it could be 'even tomorrow'. It's that guy attacking us which wouldn't be in the least bit surprising. And I've gone and helped him prepare the ground...''

Even though Sovereign-Prince Magrid had announced that he would investigate the matter at the resort area, he had not taken any concrete action. He had simply heard Leo and Darren's side of the story several times over through the messengers he dispatched. To misquote the King of Allion back when Leo had met with him, was Magrid planning to draw the curtain down by pretending that “each of you misunderstood the other”?
Leo once again directed his anger at his father and sovereign.

''A vassal raised his blade against a member of the ruling family, so why aren't you reacting more? Why can't you seem to imagine that the same bloodstained blade will one day fall on you, who shares the same blood? Are you afraid of changing the current situation? Are you so afraid of breaking the safe and fragile balance of peace and order?''

''That's right, it's fragile, Father. Even if it looks on the surface like nothing is changing, 'order' is constantly crumbling. You can't protect it anymore simply by looking away from trouble. If you turn your eyes away from fights, then even that fact alone means that your 'order' can't possibly maintain its shape, and is changing even now. Darren might be the very symbol of that. He makes sure to look like he is perpetuating the 'order' that the Sovereign-Prince believes in, but deep in his heart – in revenge against me and Savan – he's planning to create chaos like you've never seen before.''

Leo's feelings were in disarray. Neither Percy nor Camus were nearby to offer counsel, while Kuon and Sarah had both disappeared a month ago. He thought that he could guess the reason for that, but as they not left behind any message, he had not positive proof of it. It felt like he was going back to that time at the banquet, when he was alone in the darkness without a single ally, while his surroundings stared inquisitively.

===Part 3===

It was a long, long night.

Just when the images of Gosro and of he himself, transformed into a sacrifice, finally faded, hunger and thirst took their turn to torment Kuon's body and mind. He tried to sleep, but couldn't. Every time he was about to drift off, the stagnant ''sludge'' reappeared once more, surrounding him, sneering, cursing and laughing at him. Kuon couldn't help but have both eyes wrenched open.

Less than a year ago, someone had rescued Kuon from this same prison. In futile hope, he imagined the same arm extending from beyond the darkness and pulling him to the outside.

Even now, he didn't know who had gotten him out. Maybe it was the real Warrior Raga? Since Raga was said to have the power to expel evil, perhaps he had seen through to the truth and had helped Kuon out. But no – Raga wouldn't have been so short and slight. So who was it? Was there someone in this village who would have come to his help even though it meant breaking the mountain's rules? Or had they been sent by Tei Tahra?

Kuon's thoughts tumbled about in confusion.

And the night wore further on.

More than once, Kuon thought that it might never end. In which case, he wouldn't be thrown to the fire. In exchange, however, he would be slowly eaten away by hunger and thirst, and by so much exhaustion that it seemed to press down on him like a grey weight.

He pictured how, when the morning sun finally rose, it would faintly illuminate the white skeletton he would have turned into inside the rocky prison. He didn't even notice that he was sobbing.

Kuon lifted his head at the sound of the grate of iron bars opening. His sense of time had grown vague, and it felt to him that it had already been several days since he had been shut away. At some point, although he did not know when, even the fear which had once been greater than pain had been worn away by the passage of unchanging time. His senses had dulled, and now, it was only physical agony that continued to gradually break him down.

''Have they come to kill me?''

Which was why, when he heard the door opening, rather than fear, what he felt was joy.

The one who stepped in through the open doorway was the leader of the tribe, Suo. Kuon could dimly make out that he only had one person with him who seemed to be acting as a bodyguard.

Suo was a very old man. He had already been old when Kuon was born, and, as a child, Kuon had sometimes thought that when he himself was old and came to the end of his life, maybe Suo would still be head of the tribe, and would still look the same.

Kuon felt a strange sense of nostalgia at the sight of that white hair, and of those long, drooping white eyebrows. It had not even been a year since he had fled from the mountains, but even though Suo might be here to announce his death, Kuon almost wanted to jump at him in delight.

Suo however wore the same expression as though they had just seen each other yesterday.

“So it's you, Kuon,” he muttered softly. “I didn't think we would ever meet again.”

“This is surely Tei Tahra's divine guidance,” said the single soldier who was accompanying Suo.

His muscular torso was stripped bare. Tusk-like ornaments extended from either side of his forehead, and half his face was covered by a mask in the shape of a beast opening its maw.

It was the warrior, Raga. Looking at him, Kuon understood that this was a different person from the Raga he had once known. His eyes widened slightly, but he was so numb to fear and to any other sensation that doing that was all the emotion he was capable of showing. “Lift him up,” said Suo, and even when Raga put his hands behind Kuon's shoulders and placed his back against the wall, Kuon barely had any reaction at all.

For a while, Suo observed Kuon from beneath his drooping eyebrows.

“Why did you come back at this point in time?” He asked. “You must have known that things would turn out this way. Surely you couldn't have thought that your crime would be forgiven less than a year later?”

“He must have gotten scared after wandering around like a beast once he left the mountain. As a criminal, how could he survive far from Tei Tahra's protection?”

“Raga, don't interrupt. I'm asking Kuon.”

Raga gave a respectful bow.

His eyes fixed on Kuon, Suo asked him the same question once more. Kuon remained distracted for a while, but when Raga's heavy hands struck him on the cheeks, he dully shook his head, then coughed repeatedly.

“I get it. I'll talk,” he said in a rough voice that sounded like it belonged to someone else, and began to briefly narrate what had happened to him since he had left the village.

He talked about how he had gone to Conscon Temple as a mercenary, how he and the companions he had met there had headed to the enemy headquarters to attack them by surprise, and how that had then ended in a strange meeting with Leo of the Principality of Atall. He also explained about how, since then, he had followed Leo and had been involved in the fights against Hayden and Darren.

With his senses still numbed, and talking in a voice that didn't seem to be his own, he found himself wondering whether he was truly talking about himself. No, in the first place, it seemed doubtful that this could possibly be his own experiences.

Raga appeared to feel the same way. Kuon had always been a poor talker, and he clearly found it irritating to listen to his words.

“Enough already. Chief, what's the point of listening to this endless talk?”

“I believe I told you not to interrupt.”

“If it's to hunt down a beast or an enemy, I can wait without moving while the sun rises and sets any number of times, but the time spent here is just wasted. From the very start, everything that's come out of this guy's mouth is just random nonsense.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Even here, where he was born, Kuon has never had either friends or companions. And on top of that, he's the bastard who killed the leader of the Wei, who looked after him. It's completely impossible to believe that he's found and fought for a master and companions in a some culture we know nothing about. Even if he got hired somewhere as a soldier, he'd definitely cause trouble all day long until he finally got himself killed.”

Neither Warrior Raga nor Suo, the village chief, noticed it. With his hands and feet still bound, and his back leaning against the wall, Kuon smiled faintly.

''True. That really is true.''

It felt to him like the story he had told was a tale belonging to some other person.

''Obviously, I got dragged to the rock of imprisonment after Datta died. That was just a dream I had in the meantime. I'm an unwanted spawn with half of my blood not even human – how could I have left the mountain...''

“What's the matter, Kuon? Can't talk anymore?” Raga gave a small, scornful laugh. “You're no good at lying. All you've been doing after slipping out of your shackles is run and hide around here like a baby rabbit. But now that you've given up on running away and come back...”

“He's not lying.”

They heard the voice of someone who could not possibly be there.

The one who had appeared, her hand against the cleft in the rock, was Sarah. Kuon actually suspected she was another illusion.

“Who the hell are you?”

Raga reached for the sword at his waist, but when he saw the face of the next person to walk in through the opening, he looked surprised and took his hand away from the hilt.

“Come and give me a hand.”

Prompted by that hoarse voice, Raga hurried to the cleft and stretched out his brawny arms. The one he helped pull inside that way was Mist, the highest-ranked of all the priestesses.

This elderly lady was even older than Suo, and her back was so terribly bent that she could no longer walk by herself. Whenever she moved through the village, she did so carried in a hamper on a soldier's back. With the passage of time, her eyelids had grown heavy and hooded her eyes, so that it seemed likely that they must barely be able to see anymore, yet when she turned towards Kuon –

“Oh, Kuon. It's you, Kuon. It really is,” she spoke in a strangely happy voice.

“This ''is'' a surprise, Mistress Mist,” Suo brought a hand to his chest and offered her the greeting given to priestesses. “Why have you come to such a filthy prison? Is it perhaps because you have heard the decision from that exalted voice?”

“To be sure, that child left the mountain without waiting to hear the voice of Tei Tahra's decision. I'll need to ask for it again.” Mist continued inwards, supported by Raga's arm at her waist, and pointed a bony finger at Sarah. “More importantly: this girl. This morning, I learned that this girl, who had only just woken up by the grace of Tei Tahra was saying that she wanted to see Kuon no matter what. Through the other priestesses, I also heard a very interesting story. So I felt like bringing myself over here, even if it meant breaking these old bones to do so.”

“Story? What story?”

“Didn't you both hear it too? The story of why Kuon deliberately returned to the mountains after having left them.”

“You can't believe a single one of his words,” Raga roared.

“He isn't lying,” Sarah once again flatly contradicted him. She stared unflinchingly at the eyes drawn on the beast mask. “He is, incontrovertibly, a platoon leader in the Personal Guards affiliated to His Highness, Prince Leo Attiel, second prince of the Principality of Atall. I, Sarah, a nun from Conscon Temple, swear to it.”

“By the crown of ivy that Tei Tahra wears, I don't need to listen to the words of a heathen.”

“Now, now, listen to her story, Warrior Raga. Not everything can be settled with swords and bulging biceps, you know.”

Rebuked by Priestess Mist, Raga could not longer say anything. Having successfully caught Mist's interest, Sarah formally knelt in front of Suo.

“In the name of His Highness, Lord Leo of Atall, I present a request to Master Suo, chief of this village.”

Kuon stared vacantly at her as she did so. For him, everything separated Suo and Sarah – they existed, so to speak, in different worlds, so simply seeing them face each other and have a conversation was a strange scene in and of itself.

Another thing which he found surprising was how smoothly Sarah stated her business. She explained that their lord and master, Leo Attiel, was currently caught in an appalling trap and was facing a terrible plight. He needed strong soldiers to extricate himself from it. Hearing that there were warriors well-suited to his crusade in the land that Kuon – a platoon leader in his Personal Guards – hailed from, Leo Attiel had shown considerable interest.

“We implore your assistance, Master Suo. It goes without saying that we will prepare rewards worthy of you all as thanks. Please lend us the strength that your brave warriors have fostered in these mountains, and help Lord Leo carry out justice.”

She had been in the grip of a fierce fever up until just that very morning, but she fervently appealed to her listeners' emotions, and spoke so eloquently it seemed unthinkable that she had recently been suffering. Suo gazed at the girl with admiration.

“And so that was why you crossed all the way over the dangerous Kesmai Plains? You truly went to great lengths to get here. However,” Suo's long white swayed as he shook his head, “our tribe does not take part in any fights beyond these mountains. We have never sided with any power, nor yielded to any threat. No matter how righteous and just they might be, nor how many rewards they have piled up, it has nothing to do with us. The weak will be destroyed, and the strong will prosper; that is all there is to it. Please transmit that message to your lord, Leo.”

“But, Master Suo...”

“Enough!” Raga let out a thunderous roar. “The Chief has already made his decision. If you want to overturn it, then you have to defeat me, the strongest warrior of our tribe. But an outsider like you doesn't have the right to try.”

“It's as he says. I ask that you leave at once. We will not spit on Lord Leo's honour, so I will have several of our warriors accompany you until you have gone down from the mountain. We will also provide you with horses and provisions.”

After he had finished speaking, Suo turned away from her, as though he had already lost interest in the outsider. Having received an eye signal from him, the soldiers were about to draw towards her.

“Please wait,” Sarah hurriedly strung her words together. “You said that I'm to leave the mountain, but what about Kuon?”

“Since Kuon is a member of our tribe, an outsider has no business interfering.”

It was Raga who had answered her. Sarah glared fearlessly at him.

“Are you planning on killing him?”

“Kuon is a criminal. As for what form his punishment will take, it is not for mere humans such as ourselves to know.”

Raga's words implied that what came next would be left to God's decision. Sarah interpreted it as saying that – ''Kuon will be killed''. Her face pale, she looked around her. She had no allies. Even Mist, who had declared that Sarah's story was 'interesting', showed no sign of speaking up in Kuon's favour.

In that instant, the courteous expression vanished from Sarah's face, and it was replaced by one that Kuon knew well. In other words, it was the look she wore right before exploding with anger. ''Now listen here, you savages!'' – Kuon shuddered at the thought that she burst out with that any moment now.

The warm feel of his blood flowing slowly started to return to Kuon's limbs, which had been as cold and numb as though they had been turned to stone. Or perhaps it was returning to his heart itself.

''That's enough already, Sarah, just leave it'' – Just as Kuon was mustering his energy to open his cracked lips and speak, Sarah was a split-second faster, and said something that no one there had been expecting.

“That won't be tolerated.”

“What won't be tolerated?” asked Raga.

Sarah scowled at him – or rather, she glared at all the mountain people gathered there, Kuon included.

“It's obviously already been decided. Kuon will be killed.”

“And? ''Who'' won't tolerate it?” Raga's voice held the trace of a smile. “The pagan god you believe in? Are you saying divine punishment will fall on us from the heavens the second we kill Kuon? How stupid. We're under Tei Tahra's protection, and that kind of threat won't...”

“The one who won't tolerate it is neither God nor myself. It's His Highness Leo Attiel,” Sarah's voice was shot out like an arrow. Her upturned eyes were filled with strength.

“It's just as we told you earlier: Kuon is now a retainer to Lord Leo. If he hears that Kuon brutally lost his life while requesting your help, His Highness certainly won't leave things at that. Raising your hand against him means making an enemy out of all of Atall. And? Isn't it your tribe's policy not to take sides in any fight?” she said straight out.

Raga stayed silent for a moment. On the other hand, Suo, the head of the tribe, seemed to have regained the interest that he had previously lost.

“And how would Lord Leo know what fate befell his retainers? You might have been attacked by ashinaga on the Kesmai Plains. Or maybe targeted by bandits before you had even crossed the border,” he said.

Contained in his words was the implicit meaning that ''we can kill you as well as Kuon to keep your mouth shut.''

But Sarah didn't back down.

“Didn't you notice? We didn't arrive all the way here, just the two of us. One of the nomadic clans guided us, and they know that we were coming to these mountains. And if we fail to return within a month, a search party will be sent without fail from Atall to the south. There, they will hear about things in detail from the nomads. And once His Highness Leo learns that Kuon and my tracks end here, in these mountains, well, what will you gentlemen do?” she threatened in return.

The earlier situation had reversed, and Suo stopped talking while Raga now took his place.

“Let him try!” he barked as he took a step forward. “We'll get rid of any intruders. Who cares if it's Atall or whoever, as long as we have Tei Tahra's divine protection, and Warrior Raga's strength, we won't let anyone take these mountains from us.”

Kuon had gone beyond surprise and was momentarily bereft of speech he was so dumbfounded. Sarah's retorts were completely absurd. Even though she could leave if she just forgot about him, she was placing both the tribe's fate and Kuon's on the scales, and adding her own for good measure as she risked her life in these negotiations.

''What an idiot'', he thought in spite of himself. He'd felt the same way when he had watched her shoot a bandit through the head at Conscon, except that time, he had noticed that her legs had been shaking, ever so slightly.

''Why, Sarah? Why are you doing something so stupid?''

Kuon couldn't understand. And it wasn't only Sarah that he couldn't understand.

No, it wasn't just Sarah.

For Kuon, the many people he had met after leaving the mountains, and the numerous events that had happened were impossible to decipher. Whether it was those who believed in a god other than Tei Tahra, or the young nobleman who had no sooner finished fighting a neighbouring country than he turned his blade against his own countrymen, or those who didn't stand up to fight even though they knew danger was approaching their land, or the many customs that prevailed in towns – he didn't understand any of them.

''Ah...''

Within Kuon's mind, scenes had begun vividly spinning around. At first, they had been grey-tinted and had sunk into darkness, just like illustrations of stories far removed from reality. But, as he stared intently at them, they had started to glow faintly with colour. The colours gradually grew in number and in brightness, until finally, various scenes from his memory were painted in a flood of brilliant hues.

“It's impossible to believe that man found and fought for a master and companions. Even if he got hired somewhere as a soldier, he'd definitely cause trouble all day long until he finally got himself killed.” – That was what Raga had said a while earlier.

And he was exactly right: Kuon had barely been hired as a mercenary at Conscon before he was already causing an uproar. He had fought over food with a bandit chief, whose name he had already forgotten. The bandit leader had a whole bunch of subordinates, but Kuon was all by himself. Any mistake would have gotten him killed. No, even if he hadn't been killed that time, the same thing would have repeated over and over, until one time, he would definitely have died, and his corpse would have been left to rot among the weeds on the side of a road, without anybody taking any notice of it.

Nowadays, he realised that himself. So how did someone as stupid as he had been manage to survive in an unfamiliar culture in the middle of war? How... he didn't even need to wonder about it.

''It's because I wasn't alone.''

Thinking back on all the fights since Conscon, there had always been people beside him. And not only during the fighting, but also in the scenes of daily life.

“Kuon” – There was always some there who called out to him.

“Were you brawling again, Kuon?” Percy asked helplessly, even though there was a crease between his eyebrows.

“Kuon, it looks like you're steadily memorising the tenets of the Holy Scriptures. What, still not? From now on, I'll be instructing you while keeping you under strict supervision, so there's no escape!” Camus pronounced with a stern expression.

“Kuon,” when she caught sight of him, Sarah came running up, the hem of her novice's robes fluttering.

Even though he himself couldn't remember having done anything, whenever he saw her rush over like that, he felt a strange feeling of guilt, and wondered if he'd done something bad to her. That was probably because Sarah was always far too honest about her emotions, and because she was always launching attacks on him. Even when the reasons she gave for them were completely unreasonable. Like, for example: “Our match from last time hasn't ended yet. What will it be today? And let's forget about a rematch footrace, because I definitely won't lose at whatever we do next.”

And then, there was one other. Leo Attiel.

Even a man from the tribe who had know and spent time with Kuon since he was born had concluded that “there was no way Kuon could live in that civilisation,” yet Leo had made him his subordinate, and had sometimes even entrusted him with hundreds of men.

They had barely exchanged any private conversations. If you added up all the time the two of them had spoken together, it probably wouldn't amount to more than three hours. Still, in his own way, Kuon understood how difficult Leo's situation was. And because of that, and even if it was only ever so slight, he felt a certain sympathy for him.

Kuon's senses, which felt as though they had been paralysed by poison, slowly started to return. The blood circulated through his veins, and warmed his hands and feet. It was certainly as though blood and flesh were returning to an abandoned corpse but, at the same time, it meant that the fear he had forgotten for a time also came back to him.

Let us say it as often as it needs to be said: Kuon was afraid. Not since coming back within sight of the mountain; no, he had constantly been afraid ever since he had fled the mountain, just after Datta died.

Just as he had told Sarah, after escaping from the mountains, Kuon had headed north by tracing the location of the nomadic tribes who roamed the Kesmai Plains.

He had always been watching his back. For Kuon, who had never had the opportunity to be involved with trading, it was the first time he had even met human beings other than the mountain people. And so, while he was of course cautious because he had no way of knowing when the nomads might turn those large blades they used to hack of the meat from their livestock against him, what made him tremble more than anything was the fear that his native village might send assassins against him.

Finally, he had crossed the Pass of the Wailing Tresses and entered into Atall's territory, where he had heard the rumours about Conscon that had led him to become a mercenary.

Facing actual combat, the wariness of not knowing when a pursuer might appear was soon just as worn down as Kuon himself had been only a few minutes earlier.

As he learned about the rules of the outside world, he started feeling that the laws and rituals of the mountain were hideously distorted. Besides that, he had wanted to burst out laughing when he realised that there innumerable gods in this world other than Tei Tahra. To think that when he was living in such a confined space, he had been terrified of a god that only tyrannised such a tiny world, and of that god's messengers.

When he had first started as a mercenary at Conscon, all he had wanted was food enough to survive but then, before he knew it, he had become eager to accomplish some glorious feat. He wanted to become famous, to be called a hero, and to prove that he had been right when he chose to leave the mountains.

Or perhaps what he was anxious to do was to fulfil the prediction made at his coming-of-age ceremony, when it had been said that “Kuon Wei will one day bring forth more gold than the mountains can hold,” and show all of them, back at the mountain.

This was supposed to be the proof that he had overcome the traditions and the shackles of his birthplace, but in reality, it was the exact opposite: it was sign that his native land still continued to hold him back.

''I didn't run away. One day, I'll day go back with my hands filled with gold. So my existence isn't harmful to Tei Tahra.'' Holding on to that belief was simply a way to obtain a sense of security, to still be part of the mountain and to still be with Tei Tahra, even though he was far from his birthplace.

The fear which was deeply ingrained in his heart and soul could not be wiped away so easily.

After he had become a mercenary, both the overflowing zeal that Percy and the others had observed with amazement, and the dull listlessness he had sometimes displayed where simply the result of his unbearable insecurities.

Suo had asked him, “Why did you come back?”

And Kuon himself had wondered the same thing – ''Why did I come back?'' – as he stood before his native mountains, and also as he writhed across the prison's stone floor.

It was obvious.

The answer was exactly the same as the one to 'Sarah's stupid behaviour,' which had seemed 'incomprehensible' to him just a short while ago.

“Throw this woman out,” Raga bellowed in a voice that seemed to rumble to the pit of his stomach. “Chief, there's no need to kill her. Let her hurry back to Atall. It doesn't matter what kind of man this Leo is, I won't run from any challenge.”

Raga's figure was undeniably valiant, but Kuon did not fail to notice the anguished expression that flitted across Suo's face at that moment. No matter how much the mountain people might have the advantage of the terrain, or how brave their warriors were, fighting against the forces of an entire country would be far too much for them.

Yet having said that, allowing Kuon – who had once fled the mountain – to return to Atall would mean utterly disrupting the rules that protected the mountain.

Having understood that hesitation, Kuon came to a decision.

“If no one else is going to do it, I'll throw her out. Chief, you won't be stopping me, right?” Raga strode towards Sarah and reached to grasp hold of her shoulders. Just as she was about to quickly dodge –

“Chief Suo...”

Everyone there started in surprise, and turned to look at the boy whose back was leaning against the stone wall. It was as if they had all forgotten his existence until that moment.

Below the mask, Raga opened his mouth wide.

“You stay silent, Kuon. The priestesses will be sure to judge you not only for murdering Datta, but also for the crime of having brought war to the tribe.”

He took a swipe of his brawny arms towards Kuon, as if to tell him not to interfere. However –

“It's just as you say, Warrior Raga. I'll wait here for Tei Tahra's judgement.”

“What?”

“Whatever Sarah... – whatever that woman says, I'll stay here.”

“Kuon!” At his words, Sarah was the first to cry out.

“This is what I've decided for myself. Since I accept whatever crime the mountain accuses me of, as well as whatever punishment they decide, it's impossible for Lord Leo to retaliate in revenge.”

Those words brought an end Sarah's negotiation tactic's, even though she had finally managed to make Suo falter and hesitate. She was just about to scream at him, half-frantic with fury.

“But, before that,” Kuon spoke forcefully, looking at Raga, “you said something, Warrior Raga. You said that as an outsider, Sarah didn't have the right to try and change the Chief's policy by challenging you to a duel.”

“And what about it?”

“What about ''me''?”

“What?”

After gasping in surprise, Raga then shook head contemptuously towards the one he was speaking to.

“What do you think you're saying? A criminal can't challenge Raga. If that was possible, everyone who received the death sentence would choose to challenge me, since they would already have one foot in the grave anyway. Do you want Raga to have to deal with every single criminal?”

“Wrong. The only time anyone can challenge Raga to a duel is when they oppose a decision from the chief. Only the mountain god, Tei Tahra – or basically, only the priestesses who can relay his voice, can decide if someone's guilty. Not the chief. So a criminal can't challenge Raga just because he's not happy with his sentence.”

“You fool. That's why I said...”

“My guilt hasn't been decided yet, so I'm not a criminal yet.”

“What?” This time, Suo said it too.

The two of them looked towards the aged Priestess Mist, and she replied in a voice that was like the low pipping of a flute.

“Kuon disappeared before we could clarify his crime and decide whether he was guilty. It's a fact that Lord Tei Tahra has not yet pronounced His judgement.”

“That's completely ridiculous,” Raga yelled, his brawny shoulders heaving up and down. “Even if that's true, this man escaped from the mountain. A man who left the tribe can't challenge Raga.”

“That's wrong too.”

“What's wrong!”

Raga's fury was now so strong, it was as though thunder was about to crash down. But Kuon's eyes were also blazing with the force of a fire.
[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03_333.png|thumb]]
“I said I'd wait for Tei Tahra's judgement. Both Suo and Mist look like they intend for me to receive it too. Since I'm leaving my fate to the mountain god, I'm not an outsider. And, Warrior Raga, you yourself said it to Sarah, too: 'Kuon is part of our tribe'. And that's exactly right. Even if my innocence is in doubt and I left the mountain, right now, I'm still a member of the tribe.”

Even Raga was left speechless.

''I'm a member of the tribe'' – just how long had Kuon waited for the day he would be able to proudly declare that? Yet right now, Kuon wasn't boasting.

“As so, in the same way that I have to obey its laws and fulfil its obligations, I can call upon my rights as a member of the tribe.”

It was in order to survive. It was in order to save Sarah, and to rescue Leo, Percy and Camus from the danger he wanted to help them out of. For that, Kuon was willing to wield his words like weapons as much as he needed to.

“I object to Chief Suo's decision to refuse Lord Leo's request. I make use of my right, and challenge Warrior Raga to a duel. Whether I win in a fight with him, I leave to Tei Tahra's judgement.”

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| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
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| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword6|Afterword]]
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Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3 Chapter5

2018-06-01T07:04:35Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains== ===Part 1=== When staying in Guinbar, Kuon had a room in the barracks which had been built for the Personal Guards. After parting with Sar..."

==Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains==

===Part 1===

When staying in Guinbar, Kuon had a room in the barracks which had been built for the Personal Guards.

After parting with Sarah, Kuon had gone to his room. Usually, the soldiers shared a room between five or six, or even – in some extreme cases – ten, but Kuon had received a private one. It was often left empty since he was constantly coming and going between the temple and Tiwana, but then, it wasn't as though it contained anything but the basic necessities. True, there was the Cross Faith's sacred book, which Camus had forced him to take, but even that had just been left tossed in a corner.

It was already night-time.

Even though he hadn't done any training today, for some reason, he was exhausted down to the marrow of his bones. He immediately put himself to bed.

But he couldn't sleep.

That was rare for Kuon. The boy who could sleep anywhere, be it in the middle of the mountains or on a battlefield, with a tree root or the sheath of his sword for a pillow, could not sleep even though he was aware of being exhausted. Getting irritated, he let out a growl of annoyance.

He knew what the reason for it was.

''This is the prince's fault.''

He was taciturn by nature, so it felt like he had used up his lifetime's worth of words during the nearly two hours of talking that he had done earlier. And he hadn't been talking about another person, it was his own past, which he prevented himself from remembering too much about, that the prince had coaxed out of him and had him talk about at length.

When he thought of how he had been earlier, he could almost feel himself blush from embarrassment.

At the same time, he could not stem the flow of his memories. Up until now, those memories were supposed to have been locked away beyond his reach, but because he had spent so long reminiscing, the seal had fallen off entirely, and he could no longer prevent them from surging out.

He tossed and turned again and again, and kept telling himself that he wouldn't think about them, but his memories still would not allow him to escape into sleep. Even when he closed his eyes, the images rose clearly before him. Or else it was a voice which was vividly resurrected.

“You did it! Father was always reprimanding you and hitting you, so you resented him. That's why you caught him in a trap and dragged him to his death!” Diu had screamed at him in tears.

And the tribesmen had believed those words. No matter how much they might recognise his strength, at the end of the day, Kuon was not a pureblood, and that single fact decided the matter for them, and meant that they did not believe one word of his attempted explanations.

When explaining to the prince how he had arrived at Conscon, he had simply said that he had “come down from the mountains,” but the truth was that he had consciously obfuscated the details. It was impossible that he could have left so easily, after all.

Immediately after Datta's death, Kuon had been hauled away by muscular soldiers, and had been locked up in a prison within a cliff that was used for the tribe's criminals. While he was shut away, the priestesses would hold a ceremony to ascertain his guilt.

In the same way as divination was performed at the coming-of-age ceremony, they would burn an object related to the event – the armour that Datta had worn, or a piece of one of his bones – and then, depending on things like the condition of the fire and the cracks that the heat caused in the object, the priestesses would divine Tei Tahra's will. Based on that, they would determine Kuon's guilt or innocence, and, if he was guilty, they would also determine what punishment to hand out to him.

Kuon, of course, knew that he was blameless. As long as Tei Tahra righteously guided the priestesses, his innocence should become clear at once. Yet swirling black doubts and misgivings easily enveloped that hope. And the reason for that was, again, that – ''I'm not a pureblood.''

From the time he was born, he had never once been accepted by the mountain, so how could he overturn Diu's words? Even the priestesses might falsify their divination, while everyone gloated about how they could finally get rid of Kuon, the eyesore, and so wouldn't he end up burned at the stake?

That thought obsessed him as he lay on the damp stone floor. The ceiling was too low for him to be able to stand. Kuon was now lying down in his lodgings in Guinbar, and back then as well, he had been unable to sleep. In his mind floated the image of Gosro, his eyes open so wide that the eyeballs seemed about to fall out, and drool spilling from his mouth. His screeching laughter. His body engulfed in the flames...

“You're wrong, it wasn't me,” Kuon cried over and over.

He shouted until his throat was so raw he could no longer speak. His tears never stopped flowing either. In the end, he even felt like calling for his mother, who was long dead.

Then, when the night was at its deepest, he heard a voice outside. He wondered whether the executioner had finally come for him, and pressed his body close against the prison's stone wall, when an arm stretched out towards his shivering form.

He was dragged towards the open door. A man stood there. No, actually, it was impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman since they were wearing a mask similar to Warrior Raga.

That person cut the ropes that were binding Kuon's hand and feet, and clapped him on the back.

“Run away,” they whispered.

Kuon didn't need to be told twice. He even considered that this person might be pretending to help him, only to then jab a blade in his back. Convinced that the entire mountain was already out to kill him, Kuon recklessly galloped down the dark mountain paths.

The only thing he could rely on was the light from the stars. Again and again, he slipped and tumbled against the rocks. He suffered more wounds than he could count, but thinking about it now, it was lucky that none of those had been fatal injuries. There were watchtowers built all along the mountain pass; Kuon avoided the light from their fires which illuminated the darkness, and carried on with as much force as though someone was pushing him from behind. In the end, a day later, he had crossed to the south of the Fangs.

He remembered how he had stared in almost blank amazement at the Kesmai Plains, which unfolded out before him. But even that only lasted an instant. He was worried that the figures of pursuers might emerge from behind him at any moment, so he pushed himself forward, despite his wounds and his exhaustion, and ran towards the north. Of course, he had no clear destination in mind, it was simply that it was the direction away from the mountains.

“Huh,” the gloomy sound he made was meant to chase away those scenes from his past which had come spinning back to him one after another.

In the end, he gave up on trying to force himself to sleep, and glared at the ceiling, both eyes open wide.

He could hear the sound of his heartbeat.

He stayed like that for a long time.

It was not yet dawn when Kuon headed towards the barracks' stables. He saddled a horse and jumped on its back; since the animal was familiar with him, it didn't make a sound. With his bag behind him, Kuon rode the horse down the quiet streets, but then soon brought it to a halt.

There, in the semi-darkness, was the figure of a nun of the Cross Faith.

Sarah.

She was leading a horse and, before Kuon had the time to say anything –

“I thought as much,” Sarah looked up at Kuon with eyes like a kitten's. “Are you intending on returning to your home mountains, and asking them for help?”

“...”

“Give it up. Kuon, aren't you a 'betrayer' to the mountain? You'll only be captured and burned at the stake.”

“Don't decide that for yourself.”

Did Kuon's bitter answer come in reply to 'return to the mountains', or was it because of the words 'burned at the stake'? Either way, something had hit the mark.

“Did I go too far? Still, it's a bit unexpected, you know?”

“What is?”

“The fact that you're even willing to run the risk of being burned to death. Percy and my brother seem to be placing their hopes on His Highness Leo, but what in the world is in it for you?”

“I just want to win the war.”

“Which is why I'm asking why. There are wars everywhere. There are places where you have a far better chance of winning compared to here, and places where you can make far more money.”

Sarah piled up questions as though to test him, until opposite her, Kuon growled in annoyance.

“I decide where I fight. It's got nothing to do with you. So leave me alone.”

“I can't do that. The prince said it too, right? You're his bodyguard. You're no longer a drifting mercenary: your position comes with responsibilities.”

“And who are you to say that? Are you in a position to give me orders?”

“I...” Sarah faltered for a second, then proudly puffed out her chest. “I am the beauty in heroic tales who guides the hand of destiny.”

“Whatever.”

Kuon had his horse start walking again. Sarah levered herself by putting her foot against the stable's gate and swung herself into her own saddle. Her movements were supple and nimble.

Kuon passed under Guinbar's main eastern gate, and started along the road heading south.

“Did you bring travelling expenses?” Sarah asked from behind him.

He ignored her at first, but eventually held up the bag that was at waist because of how persistent she was being.

“Right, I see. So, we should get what we need from one of the villages ahead. This isn't going to be a five or six day trip, is it?”

''Weren't you planning on stopping me?'' Was written all over Kuon's face, but he didn't say it out loud. If he started talking, he would just get caught up in Sarah's pace. Determined to get away from her at some point, he urged his horse forward.

Half a day after leaving Guinbar, they arrived in a village where they bought provisions and sleeping bags. Sarah had something to say about every item of shopping. “It's best to visit another shop before making a decision,” she said, or, “Please be more careful about what you choose. Your life depends on the equipment you select for travelling.” She just wouldn't shut up. Kuon wasn't able to stay silent either.

“What are you, a meddling old granny? And how long are you planning on sticking around for?”

“I decide where I go. So leave me alone.”

After riding their horses further, they stayed overnight in a different village.

Kuon had intended to stay at an inn, but Sarah objected. Savan Roux had built centres for the Cross Faith throughout his territory, and in this village as well, a storehouse which had originally been under the joint management of merchants was in the middle of being remodelled into a monastery. There were still only very few monks living and studying there, but Sarah was able to request that the two of them be put up for the night in the name of solidarity between members of the Cross Faith.

“Every little bit of money is worth saving.”

Kuon went along with it for the time being. Although there was still money to spare, it wasn’t as though it were plentiful.

The two of them continued to ride forward for several more days. Sometimes Kuon had his horse speed up, or left a village after making sure that Sarah was fast asleep, but each time, Sarah would inevitably catch up with him. Once, they fell in with a merchant caravan – in effect, a group of peddlers – of several dozen people, and a spent a night in their company in a forest. However, when Kuon stealthily got up in the middle of the night and seemed about to gallop away on horseback, young merchants who were standing guard came chasing after him, also on horses and with ugly expressions.

Thinking that something might have happened, Kuon brought his mount to a halt.

“Chase after him at once if that guy looks like he’s going to sneak away without permission,” Sarah had apparently told them. “He took my chastity and we're fleeing from the pursuers sent by my parents. But now, it looks like he's trying to run away from me. Even though he's promised that we would go where we could be happy together.”

Because of that tearful explanation, the men were all on Sarah's side, and had kept watch on Kuon with glowering eyes.

“You shameless piece of shit, taking advantage of such a beautiful young lady then trying to run away!”

“I'd rather tie you to that tree over there and let the wolves eat you, but then the young lady would be sad. Right, come on – you're going back!”

Kuon was completely baffled to find himself surrounded and threatened like that. He gave up for a while on trying to shake Sarah off.

As the road grew more rugged, signs of human life gradually became scarcer. There were no more travellers and merchants to be seen, and hardly any houses. Normally, upon leaving the centre of Atall and approaching the border areas, there would be marauders roaming, who would forcibly announce that they would “protect” wayfarers to extort money out of them, yet even those bandits were nowhere in sight here.

They arrived near the road through the mountain pass. Wedged between the highlands and the rocky mountains to its east and west, this path separated Atall from the lands that lay further south. Although the place was virtually deserted, the road appeared to be relatively well-maintained, which stemmed from the fact that before the southwestern country of Garanshar had been absorbed into Allion's domains, this route was frequently used by merchants from Atall and the surrounding countries when they went on business to Garanshar and did not want to cross Allion's border.

Because of the cliffs towering on either side of it, strong winds blew through this valley path, and because they sometimes sounded like a woman's weeping, it was called 'Pass of the Wailing Tresses'.

At times galloping fast, at others, leading their horses, Kuon and Sarah crossed the steep ridge. As the cliffs fell away behind them, there was suddenly nothing to obstruct their view and, instead, desolate fields opened before them.

The Kesmai Plains.

The gently rolling ground seemed to carry on forever. Diagonally west of the plains, the domains that had once been Garasharn continued until they adjoined the inland sea, which had now become Allion's border.

The temperature seemed impossibly high compared to the mountain pass, and Sarah's hair fluttered in the dry wind. Moisture was scarce, and there so were so few trees growing that they could easily be counted, which made this land look it was rejecting life.

“How did you cross these plains?” Sarah asked.

She stroked her horse's neck as though to soothe it, but in doing so, she was probably trying to hide her own unease.

“Nomads wander all over the plains. I followed them.”

“You sure are good at being reckless,” Sarah crossed herself with an astounded expression. “Simply being able to find them was already a desperate gamble, and then, there are plenty differences between nomads. There are even some who attack caravans and towns, you know. You should give thanks for still being alive. Be sure to offer prayers to God.”

“Sure, humans are dangerous too, but from here on, they'll be more wolves than humans. Also, watch out; there are loads of valleys that look like the mountains have collapsed inwards. In places like that, there are plenty of holes where ashinaga have their nests.”

“Ashinaga?”

“That's how we call them. But in Atall and among the nomads, I've heard they're called 'armoured spiders'. They're giant, man-eating spiders.”

“Eh...”

Her tone was curt, but Sarah's answer seemed strangely heavy at the same time. His interest piqued, Kuon continued his explanation.

“In the tribe, there were men who hunted ashinaga at the foot of the mountain on the far side from the village. Because they only appeared a few times a year, on the morning after strong winds had been blowing, only the exceptionally skilled hunters were chosen. It's an honour to hunt ashinaga.”

“Why would you even be hunting them? To eat?”

“Of course not. The priests wanted the ashinaga's poison, the hunters used the hair from their legs as arrowheads, and the warriors took their hard shells as shields. I've never seen a living one though. ─ You scared? They say that if you take ashinaga poison, you'll die in agony.”

The implicit advice was that now was the time to turn back.

“Really? That sounds exciting. This means that from here on is where a great adventure begins, right? This could the tale of how the brave and beautiful Sister Sarah, accompanied by a puppy-like attendant, found treasures and ruins hidden since long ago in this barren wasteland.”

Sarah straightened her back and urged her horse on before Kuon could do the same, leaving him to follow hurriedly after.

Travelling south across the plains, there were what looked like huts made out of solidified mud lining a narrow river. They looked like they probably formed a village. Back when merchants had frequently been going to and fro the north and Garanshar, they had probably been bustling with people, but now, there was so little life in the place that even the sun which was shining overhead seemed stagnant.

They therefore decided to stay at an inn. Well, for all that it was called an 'inn', it was more like an ordinary farmhouse. The talkative host threw open rooms in his house for the few travellers and merchants that came by in order to hear stories from the outside world. Yet when that genial old man heard that Kuon and Sarah were travelling even further south, ''They're crazy'' was written all over his face.

“There aren't any proper villages south of here. Even if you're on the run from the north, you'd do better to head west of the northern edge of Kesmai. There you'll find the remains of the highway that Garanshar maintained through the plains, back when the country still existed. It's a little far, but there should be several post-station towns along it.”

When Sarah insisted however that they needed to go south, their host pondered for a while, then told them,

“In this season, the Halia open up their bazaar. It's at the 'Moon Ring Stones'. Those guys trade with the towns, so there shouldn't be too much danger. You need to go further southwest along the river.”

The Halia were apparently one group within a clan of nomads, and a bazaar seemed to be a market which the nomadic tribes held at regular intervals.

Their host looked at Sarah, who was dressed in her novice's robes.

“The Halia are good-natured for nomads, but it would still be best if you changed your clothes. The nomadic clans have their own gods. And they're different from city-dwellers: they're mostly not very tolerant of other people's faiths,” he offered another warning.

Sarah might have been expected to resist the idea –

“These clothes have been reduced to tatters from the trip, so that's perfect. Kuon, we still have travel funds, right?” Instead, however, she immediately demanded money.

Kuon pulled a sour face, but by then, he had given up on shaking Sarah off, so it was better to have at least one less source of trouble.

The next day, she visited the various houses in the village, looking to buy cheap clothes from the daughters of farmers or shopkeepers. By the end, she was wearing second-hand linen clothes that seemed to have belonged to a farm girl, and a traveller's cloak. When he first saw her looking like that, Kuon's eyes went wide for a second, but when he noticed Sarah's knowing smile, he immediately turned his gaze away.

===Part 2===

It was still early in the morning when they left the village and headed south.

The strong sunlight was beating down, and neither Kuon nor Sarah felt like idle chatter. Pouring with sweat and keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, they silently urged their horses forward. Luckily, from morning until the sun's light faded into dusk, they met neither beasts nor bandits.

They came across a deep valley at the bottom of a gentle slope in which a large crowd of people had gathered. Tents with tapered points were packed close together, filling the valley. As they got closer, the sight of the nomads in their long robes of different colours and designs, the sound of the vendors' high-pitched voices, and the smell of spices and herbs all mixed together to create a jumbled atmosphere that assaulted Kuon and Sarah's five senses.

This was surely the Halil's bazaar. The 'Moon Ring Stones' seemed to refer to a series of low-lying boulders on the east side of the valley. At certain times of the day, the shadow that the boulders cast into the valley resembled the shape of the moon, hence the name.

These nomads were generally on the small side, with dark black hair and narrow eyes. They were split up into numerous clans, and never settled long in one place: as soon as they had built a base in one part of the wilderness, they would move to another destination. Occasionally, they would hold a market, to which other clans also came. Since the market was usually held in the name of the leader of the host clan, he was responsible for guaranteeing its peace. If clans were in the middle of a feud, bringing that quarrel to the market was strictly forbidden. Men dressed in long white robes, and armed with guns and swords that curved even more than the half-moon swords often used in Atall, were patrolling the valley and its surroundings. They appeared to be in charge of maintaining security, which meant that they were part of the Halil clan, which was sponsoring this bazaar. One of them had rushed immediately to where a buyer and vendor had started yelling loudly at one another.

─ This is a digression, but one theory holds that, several hundred years ago, a group of these nomads travelled north, then went separate ways to the east and west. The group which went east found a new base of operation to the north of what is currently the Grand Duchy of Ende, and it continues to this day to threaten Ende's northern borders. The group that headed west eventually reached the lands of Tauran, and it is said that after repeatedly interbreeding with the indigenous Zerdians, they became known as the Pinepey Tribe, which is famed for its skill in shooting from horseback.

Whatever the land in which they arrived, they chose the same way of life, faithful to their love for freedom and the wind, and to their traditions of violence and bloodshed.

“It's really crowded!” Sarah exclaimed in a somewhat excited voice. Apparently, she was fond of that kind of mixed and diverse atmosphere.

Kuon patted the bag at his waist to check what remained of their travel funds. They needed to resupply in provisions and water. Their host had mentioned that from here on, the sun's rays would be merciless, so new cloaks were another necessity.

''Outsiders have come'' – it was clear that the Halia guards were keeping a watchful eye on them. Wanting to stand out as little as possible, Kuon was going to pay whatever price the vendors asked for, but Sarah interfered each time.

Which got them dragged into a strange situation.

Just as Sarah was complaining about the price of a bag of dried fruit, a hand swept the bag away from the side. It belonged to a man dressed in long black robes. There was a noticeable scar on his forehead, and he might have been in his mid forties.

“Now look here...” Sarah was about to protest that they were still in the middle of bargaining, but the man paid the asking price for the fruit, then held the bag out to Sarah.

While Sarah stared blankly back, the man crocked his finger to call over Kuon, who was inspecting curved short swords at another stall. Kuon was offended at the gesture, which was just like that of a master summoning a menial, but what the man said next was a proposal which was so outrageous that it left the boy stunned.

“I want to buy this woman,” the man announced.

He spoke with a heavy accent. It brought back memories of Kuon back when he had first appeared at the temple, but Sarah seemed to have no problem understanding it. Instead of being angry, however, she answered with a sweet smile;

“Unfortunately, I'm not for sale. Although I am curious about what kind of price you might set.”

The man open his mouth wide in a hearty laugh, and named a sum. In that area, it would have been enough to stock up on ten day's worth of luxury provisions.

Kuon had been glaring angrily, but, so as to not stand out, he relaxed his shoulders and deliberately looked towards Sarah in amusement.

“What a strange guy. Do you really want to shorten your lifespan so badly that you're willing to pay for it?”

“Oh my, you've learned how to speak, little kuonkuon puppy.”

Although it could have ended there and have been no more than funny anecdote –

“I can add more,” the man was persistent.

There was an impression of strong will from the mouth buried beneath his black beard, from his narrow, upward slanting eyes, and from his forehead which was like the sheer cliffs in the surrounding area. Although he was slim, his shoulders were broad, and there was a red sash tied firmly around his waist. Kuon's feeling was that he was not simply some lady's man, and neither was he to be underestimated.

“Despite appearances, she's a daughter from a family of pretty good standing. She has a fiancé back home,” he said quickly, and reached out to take Sarah's hand to get her away from the man.

His hand was blocked. When he looked around, he found himself half surrounded by a group of men wearing robes of the same colour. All of them had sheathed swords conspicuously on display.

“Then how about enjoying a little adventure before going back to that Mister Fiancé? I'm telling you, I, Bahāt, know far better how to please a young lady than any of those soft city-dwelling men.”

“Knock it off,” Kuon wanted to deal with this as calmly as possible, but the man called Bahāt wasn't giving up.

Sarah didn't say anything. For some reason, she seemed to be watching happily what Kuon, who was now grasping her hand, intended to do.

“Don't think that outsiders can do things their own way here,” Bahāt's lips twisted into a smile. “If you become too much of a pain, should I feed your flesh to the ravenous wolf god of Kesmai, Roh Gas?”

“What?”

“My advice to you, boy, is to scram and leave the woman before there’s trouble.”

“Bastard,” Kuon started to reach for the sword that hung at his back. Seeing that, Bahat and his men burst out laughing; they didn't think for a second that he was a master swordsman. To them, the two looked like the son and daughter of good families who had come from the city for a small shopping adventure.

Sarah now looked worried. To go back to what was being said earlier, if outsiders wrecked the market place, they would make enemies of everyone there. She was about to say something to stop them, but it was already too late.

At that moment, a different group made up of several riders came rushing up. Just like the guards on duty, these men wore white robes, meaning that they must be from the Halil. The group of five horsemen advanced in a row, as though to force the cluster of black-robed men to part before their mounts.

“You got here fast,” Bahāt laughed. “This brat is going around trying to make trouble. Won't you take him away for me?”

“What. Bastard, you're the one...” While Kuon was flaring up, the lead rider spoke,

“I did not think that you would do us the honour of coming to our bazaar, Uncle.” Although he was young, his voice carried unusual dignity. Within the group, he was the only one wearing a pointed helmet. “Naturally, as you know, since this bazaar is being held in my name, everyone attending is my guest. Tell me, Uncle, do you have business with my guests?”

“None at all. As a guest, I was simply going to buy something which caught my eye. Exactly what you'd expect at a bazaar.”

“Yet it looked like there was about to be a commotion because you were forcibly trying to buy something which was not for sale.”

“Oh? Are you trying to say that I'm the one who was about to disturb the bazaar? And, in your position, what are you going to do to me? Expel the problem by force? This is great opportunity for you, since you can't seem to stand my company,” as Bahāt spoke, the mood changed.

The group in black put their hands to their waist or to their breast pockets. Seeing which, the party of white-robed riders also put themselves at the ready.

Kuon grimaced: from being at the centre of the disturbance, his position had suddenly changed completely and he was now entirely left out. In short, it looked like there were certain ties and circumstances among the nomads there.

Amid an atmosphere so tense that blood might start flowing at any moment, Bahāt put on a smile, and shrugged his broad shoulders.

“Well, leave it. I'm still in the middle of shopping. It wouldn't be so funny to be turned away now. Let's go enrich your bazaar a little,” saying so, he turned around.

Once he started to walk, the group of black-robed men all immediately did the same. A sand-laden wind started blowing from behind Kuon, and it was exactly as though Bahāt was guiding that wind as he strode away.

Kuon and Sarah were invited to the tent which was closest to the 'Moon Ring Stones'.

The one who had asked them there was the man in a helmet from the Halil clan. “Please allow me to treat you to a cup of tea,” he had said.

Before Kuon had time to refuse, Sarah's eyes had lit up.

“Did you say that this bazaar was being 'held in your name' earlier? Does that mean, sir, that you are the head of this clan?” She asked, her eyes still shining.

''Don't say any more than necessary'', Kuon glared at her, but the young man laughed readily.

“Please know that I am Hāles Halia, O beautiful one.”

While saying that, he showed the two of them into the tent. Hāles was still only about thirty. The image that city-dwellers had of the prairie tribes was that of bloodthirsty savages who attacked travellers every night, but Hāles had a clear pair of eyes, and when he smiled, there was a sophisticated air to him that was hard to disregard.

An Atallese carpet was spread out inside the tent, with a table and chairs from Allion arranged in proper order.

“None of these were plundered, they were bought at bazaars held by the other clans,” although in spite of Hāles' explanation, these were almost certainly articles that the clansmen had sold at their markets after pillaging them from the towns...

Hāles served them tea himself. Maybe it was because some unknown animal's milk had been added to it, but Sarah felt something very off about the drink that she was normally used to, and had a hard time preventing it from showing on her face. Kuon, meanwhile, downed his cup in a single gulp. He wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

“Thank you for kindly for your hospitality and for the tea,” as ever when speaking with excessive formality, Kuon's voice was too loud. “We have no intention of causing a disturbance at the bazaar. We have already found what we need, so we will be leaving immediately.”

He took Sarah's hand and was about to stand up.

“Please wait,” Hāles was still half-standing as he stopped Kuon. Young though he was, and just as there had been with Bahāt, there was something in the way he held himself which made it clear that one could not be careless around him.

“We need to hurry to where we're going.”

“It will be sunset. Bahāt will definitely attack you if you leave now. Please at least stay the night and leave when the sun is high in the sky. The bazaar ends tomorrow, so we can provide you with guards.”

“Bahāt was the man who wanted to buy me, right? Lord Hāles, didn't you call him your 'uncle'?” Sarah asked before Kuon had time to say anything.

For a second, Hāles' suntanned face wore an embarrassed expression, but he immediately after started to explain the situation to them.

Bahāt was the younger brother of the previous head of the clan. When the previous clan leader – in other words, Hāles' father – had passed away from illness, the elders had gathered and had designated Hāles as his successor. At the time, however, Bahāt had been taking part in a skirmish caused by other clans – one of the parties had offered him money and horses for his support – and so had not been able to take part in the discussion to choose the successor. He seemed distinctly unhappy about it, and, along with several dozen companions who had fought alonside him, he had distanced himself from the clan, only appearing on occasion to harass those within it.

“Uncle probably came to stir up trouble at the bazaar. He wants to drag my name down. Still, if sheds the blood of a fellow clansmen for no reason, and for all that the plains are said to be unfettered, he'll find that they will suddenly become a very small place. Those who make light of the connection between clansmen who share the same horses and who drank the same milk will unfailingly find that Roh Gas will howl their infamy far and wide, and they will become objects of hatred and scorn even to the other clans.”

“And so when I appeared, it was like a boon from the Heavens for Bahāt,” Sarah nodded.

He was going to target an outsider to start a fight. This wasn't the first, or even the second time that Bahāt had performed this kind of harassment.

The bazaar held at the 'Moon Ring Stones' was so large that even merchants from the lands of the northern civilisation – Atall included – used to form a caravan to come and trade there. Half a year ago, however, Bahāt had attacked them on their return journey. He had stolen their carts and left several dead, so from then onwards, the merchants in that caravan no longer had the slightest inclination to set foot in the Kesmai Plains again. Given what kind of man he was, it was indeed entirely possible that he might swoop down upon Kuon and Sarah as soon as they left the valley.

Hāles seemed both worried by Bahāt's actions, and considerably enraged by them. Realising that, Kuon revised his intention of leaving at once. And with it –

“That man is no longer your uncle,” even Sarah was startled by his words. “He's simply a traitor to the clan – an enemy. You should kill him. Why haven't you done so?”

Hāles glared for a second, then got his emotions under control and showed them a serious expression. He was a man who had become head of his clan at a young age: his hand and feet were no doubt bound by any number of shackles. And besides –

“Uncle is well used to the plains, and usually, we don't even know where he is. And I have to take into account that if we attack him, he might call for help from other clans. I can't decided to start a large-scale conflict simply on my own judgement.”

“You could always find a pretext to lure him out.”

“A sneak attack is out of the question. Instead of my uncle, it's my infamy that Roh Gas would spread across the wide plains,” as Hāles spoke, he once again gave a momentary glimpse of anger.

He would do what he could, but this was not Atall or Allion; the plains had their own way of doing things.

“You shouldn't be the one to do it.” Why was it that, having gotten to this point, Kuon was showing an abnormal amount of enthusiasm? “But how about if an outsider kills him?”

Not long after that, Kuon and Sarah were once more sitting astride their horses as they swiftly left the Moon Ring Stones behind them. Sunset was closing in, and the dark red sky was melting into the plain's vast ground.

In the end, the two travellers had apparently decided to ignore Hāles' advice. And it wasn't even half an hour later that clouds of dust appeared behind them and to their side.

“Ay-ay-ay-ei, ay-ei,” the group of black-robbed nomads bore down on them, raising their rough voices in a way perculiar to them.

There was a dozen or more of the men. All of them wore the cruel, predatory smiles of wolves, and as they rode forward, they had their curved and twisting swords raised high. Horses and men alike all seemed to be feverish at the promise of bloodshed.

If Hāles could have seen them, he would certainly have sighed – ''Didn't I tell you so?''

The assailant galloping in the lead was none other than Bahāt. The gentlemanly manner that he had just barely maintained at the bazaar had been entirely flung aside, and his cruel laughter was echoing loudly.

Kuon and Sarah tried to get their horses to run faster and shake off their pursuers, but the nomads were superior in their handling of horses, and in their knowledge of the terrain. The outsiders barely managed to run away for more than a few minutes before being chased and cornered by a steep cliff.

Several more men joined the group, until there were about twenty of them spread out in a fan shape and surrounding the two who had been forced to halt their horses. The assailants also slowed their horses' steps.

“You should've listened back then, boy,” positioning himself in front of them, Bahāt was laughing enough to make his black beard quiver. “I'd have let you go if you'd given over the woman. But this isn't the bazaar where your sort can fit in anymore: here, you're in the Kesmai Plains, where wolves, and storms and giant spiders prowl. There aren't any rules or laws here. This is a land where the strong take, and the weak simply get taken from. After having that woman while you watch, I'll slice you to shreds and leave you tied up here. Will you be torn apart by the fangs of wolves while you'll still alive, or will you be pecked to pieces by birds of prey? Or will you be gobbled up by armoured spiders?”

As Bahāt laughed, his eyes almost looked blood red, like those of a man possessed. It was clear that he loved fighting, and that he took pleasure in cornering his prey then taking the time to torment it. There was no doubt from the look in his eyes that when he attacked and captured men from other tribes, merchants, travellers, or anyone else, he was used to torturing them to death like this. As for what happened to those who were left alive, they were sold as slaves to the western countries.

Bahāt's like-minded friends were also laughing as they called out in their coarse voices.

“Choose how you want to die.”

“We could let you have the woman before that. If you can actually get it up while we watch.”

While the men on horseback were all laughing at once, Kuon kicked his horse's flanks and raced it towards an opening in the fan-shaped encirclement.

“You going to just let the woman die, boy?”

The nomadic rider who was positioned at that edge spurred his own horse forward.

“Don't kill him yet.”

“Cut his arm off and knock him off the horse.”

Accompanied by the voices of his companions, the rider swung his greatly curved sword to block Kuon's path. It should have sunk into the boy's shoulder, except that it was instantly parried.

The man on horseback had his posture thrown off. At some point, Kuon had drawn the sword at his back. Or perhaps it was better to say that he had parried the blow with the very action of 'drawing his sword'. While everyone there was still having a hard time believing their eyes, Kuon struck again and slashed his opponent through the throat.

The man fell from his horse in a spray of blood.

A moment passed. Then Bahāt's eyes flew open wide.

“Don't let him get away!” He howled.

The vulgar smirks had completely vanished from the nomads' faces, replaced instead by a terrifying killing intent.

As they circled to draw the net tighter around Kuon, there was also one who moved his horse towards Sarah. Terror must have rooted her to the spot, because she wasn't moving.

“Boy, do you value this woman's head? If you do, then...”

The man had been about to press his sword against Sarah's neck, when he suddenly saw a gun muzzle appear from beneath her cloak. He didn't even have time to blink: his forehead was shot through, and he fell backwards from his horse.

Sarah aimed one after another at the men on one end of the group encircling Kuon, and pulled the trigger. She was unused to shooting from horseback, so she did not hit them, but it caused a shock to run throughout Bahāt's group.

Then another situation arose: multiple arrows were shot from behind Bahāt and his men.

Two arrows struck true, and a man riding next to Bahāt screamed in pain as he fell from his horse.

''What the hell?'' Bahāt could not comprehend what was going on. He had not imagined for a moment that the 'outsiders' might have companions. While he was hesitating about whether or not to turn his horse around, Kuon stole up to him, unnoticed.

Another gunshot rang out.

A man who had drawing up to Kuon from behind toppled over in a spurt of blood.

Sword in hand, Bahāt stopped Kuon's blow just before it landed on his face.

“Boy, you're aiming a weapon at ''me''? Do you know what happens in Kesmai to those who bare their fangs at Bahāt?”

“How would I know,” Kuon answered while avoiding his counterattack. “There aren't any rules or laws here, right? The strong take, and the weak get taken from.”

In spite of how he looked, Kuon's blows were sharp. For a second, then a third time, steel crashed against steel so fast that sparks flew around their faces.
[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03_271.png|thumb]]
“Bastard...”

Bahāt was superior in terms of raw strength, but there was no time for him to leverage that advantage by swinging his blade wide. Kuon's attacks were incessant, and in a second when Bahāt twisted away to avoid them, it was instead Kuon's sword which drew a wide arc.

“Argh!”

The blade sliced through Bahāt's carotid artery. Blood gushed up and dyed the dry earth red. He still moved jerkily as though to swing his sword, but his sturdy body soon fell at his horse's feet.

===Part 3===

Having lost its leader, the group fled with shouts of “Withdraw!” while still being pursued from behind by the archers.

Sunset was near when white-robed nomads appeared over the ground which had been stained dark red. They were the ones who had drawn the bows. There were only five of them, but that had been sufficient to throw Bahāt into confusion. Leading the rest of the group was the young clan head, Hāles.

“That was magnificent,” Hāles cried out, his face still flushed with excitement. “I can't believe you're this much of an expert with the sword. To be honest, I thought it was touch-and-go whether you'd survive, even if you did manage to kill Bahāt.”

Just before leaving the Moon Ring Stones, Kuon had approached them with a suggestion:

“You don't know where Bahāt is? That guy wants to attack us, so if we leave now, without any guards, he'll definitely show up in front of us.”

Hāles Halia was astounded. Kuon was saying that he was going to lure Bahāt out by defencelessly going out in the open. And right now, at that.

“Gather a few people you can trust. The enemy will be confused if arrows are shot from behind them. I'll use that opening to kill Bahāt,” Kuon volunteered.

Sarah's expression turned surprised, perhaps deliberately so.

“I see. If we bring too many people, it will simply end with Lord Hāles becoming known for having attacked a kinsman. It has to be carried out by outsiders to the very end. Kuon, what's gotten into you? Since when were you infected with His Highness' intelligence?”

“Ridiculous,” Hāles turned the suggestion down flat. “Even if we're covering you, how far do you think you'll get, drawing their attention all by yourself. With all due respect, a child like yourself...”

“He isn't a child, clan leader,” Sarah said about the boy that she was usually the first to make fun of. “He's a renowned warrior in the country of Atall. And as for me, I won't fall that easily at enemy hands. So won't you leave this to us?”

A man who looked like a child was saying that he would take down Bahāt, and a girl who seemed like a farmer's daughter was asking a warrior to “leave it to us”. The young clan head blinked in bewilderement.

“Why? Why would you do something like this? We've only just met. What benefit is there for you in risking your lives to take Bahāt's?”

“We only said we wanted to leave here at once. We're not doing this for you. You could actually that we're using your situation to get rid of a guy who's getting in the way of our journey.”

Hāles' astonishment did not abate. Still, even though he was usually a simple man, he was still a warrior nomad who gave his body over to blood frenzy whenever war broke out. In these wild plains, he had been reared on the milk of battles and hunting. He had fought both humans and packs of wolves that had come to seize the nomads' livestock.

“If you're going to go that far, I'll provide a few people. But we cannot be seen. Until we get close enough to shoot arrows, even if you get caught or if one of you gets killed, we will pretend to have nothing to do with it. Are you really alright with that?”

The two others nodded.

And thus, still half-doubting this plan – or, rather, despite being seventy or eighty percent sure that it would fail – Hāles chose four companions who were close to him in age, and with whom he had forged especially solid bonds, and together they had stealthily followed behind Kuon and Sarah, bows in hand.

The result was that Bahāt's corpse was now lying at Hāles' feet. This was a man whose conduct had been awful, and who had risked dividing the clan. Yet even though Hāles had hated him enough to want to kill him with his own hands, he had still been a kinsman. For a moment, Hāles was almost carried away by the desire to offer his uncle a proper burial, but he soon revised that thought.

To the very end, they had to stick to the story that Bahāt had been killed by the ones he had intended to attack. What happened to his corpse was something that was best left to the ravenous hunger of the wolf god, Roh Gas, who ruled as he pleased over the plains. In short, and to use Bahāt's own threatening words, it would be left to chance whether he would be “ torn apart by the fangs of wolves, pecked to pieces by birds of prey, or gobbled up by armoured spiders.”

“I would love to invite you to my tent as heroes, but...”

“The sentiment is sufficient. If the honoured clan leader was to shower hospitality to 'outsiders' right after Bahāt's death, unfortunate rumors would be sure to spring up.”

Hāles gazed at the pair in considerable wonder. When he looked carefully, he felt that the boy called Kuon had something about him that made him far closer to them, the nomads who roamed the plains as the wind dictated, than to those who lived in stone cities.

“Where will you go?”

“South,” Kuon answered laconically. Hāles thought about it for a moment.

“I see. You're from the people of the mountain lands that received Tei Tahra's protection?” No sooner had he said so than he frowned. “No, they almost never leave the mountains. And besides, you don't have a tattoo on your forehead, either.”

Kuon remained as silent as ever, and simply allowed the question to be carried away by the wind.

Although Hāles had given up on offering them a heroes' reception, he still provided Kuon and Sarah with seven riders to act as guards and guides. Since these had brought plenty of equipment and provisions for camping, the two travellers were far more comfortable and relaxed than they had been before then on their journey.

After ten days of travel, the smooth plains gave way to a terrain of jagged ups and downs. Kuon and the others continued where valleys were nestled among rocky peaks. Or perhaps it was better to say that the rocky peaks besieged the valleys. There, they said goodbye to the nomads: they were afraid that if they penetrated any further into the mountain people's sacred lands, they would be seen as invaders.

Said otherwise, this proved that they were getting closer and closer to Kuon's birthplace. As they did so, he spoke less and less.

On the first evening when they were back to travelling as just the two of them, strong winds whipped themselves into a gale. Despite how the winds slipped through the cracks in the cliffs, by evening of the next day, the pair had riden their horses as far as the mouth of a wide gorge. Continuing through it, the slope on the left side gradually became gentler. Climbing up it to reach the summit that gave into the gorge, would bring them to the foot of the mountains that were Kuon's birthplace.

Sarah gazed at the rugged landscape.

“The horses can't continue any further, can they? Anyway, the sun is already going down. Let's camp here.”

Kuon didn't move, even though he had seemed about to get down from the horse. It was as though he was now about to turn it back around.

“And, what is it?” Sarah raised her eyes. She understood that Kuon's birthplace was close. “You can't possibly be planning to tell me that from here you'll be going alone, so I should turn back? Don't even joke about it. Since I've come this far, I'm continuing forward no matter what happens.”

“...No, you can't.”

“Don't be stupid. I kept up in the mountains in Allion, even when it was the middle of the night.”

“Go back. I'm the one who was being stupid. Nothing good is going to come from going further.”

“What?” Sarah's voice rose higher. “That's right, you really are stupid. You'd have to be an absolute fool to have come all this way and turn back right before your destination.”

“...”
“Don't tell me you're scared?” Sarah was being harsh to raise Kuon's spirit. “Is this the great warrior Kuon? Since you ran away from the mountains, it makes perfect sense that you'd be worried about the people from where you were born turning their bows against you, but I thought that you'd ridden here fully aware of that. It looks like I've overestimated you. It's fine, Kuon. You can wait here, or go back to Lord Hāles' camp. I'm going forward. I'll talk with the mountain people and return to Atall in triumph with reinforcements.”

Kuon didn't answer. Feeling ridiculously irritated, Sarah was on the verge of speaking even more harshly when she noticed that Kuon's entire face was dripping with sweat. He was shaking a little, too.

“Seriously, what's wrong, Kuon? Have you come down with an illness?”

Sarah advanced her horse forward and seemed about to touch Kuon's forehead, but he shook off her hand.

“It's nothing. It's just like you said. It's just... I'm just scared.” Because of how frank Kuon was being, Sarah, for her part, was left speechless.

Kuon was utterly drenched in sweat and trembling frm fear. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had undertaken to act as bait and lure out the savage nomads.

For a while, the two of them remained on horseback without saying anything, but then a strange sound filled the valley. It was like the shrill cries of wild birds, but as it drew closer, it became clear that it was overlapping with human voices. Kuon looked towards, his eyes flying wide open.

Rocks stretched out before them along the valley's path. At some points, they were piled up to an unnatural height. You only had to see them to realise that they had been placed there by human hands. The stones had been stacked up like walls to slow the escape of prey when hunters where chasing after them.

“Run, Sarah!” Kuon shouted as he grabbed the horse's reins.

“What's the matter now...”

“Ashinaga... armoured spiders are coming!”

Just as he cried out, a strange creature came rushing down the slopes. Sarah saw it too.

What made it spider-like were its six gnarled and spindly legs, which would be longer than Kuon or Sarah's full height if it stretched them out straight. Above those legs was a dusky black carapace that certainly looked solid and hard. That part of it looked less like a spider and more like a beetle.

Armoured spiders were fierce carnivores. They were simple creatures that did not act in swarms, but they were extremely aggressive by nature. Once they spotted prey – a human, for example – they would mercilessly leap towards it and seize it with the sharp, curved claws at the end of their legs, then devour it from the head down. Moreover, their fangs were known to contain poison, and simply having their skin grazed was enough to cause violent pain to their victims. That pain would soon disappear however. And that was because their nerves would rapidly become paralysed.

Kuon and Sarah turned their horses around to leave there at once.

The armoured spider must have originally fled that way as it was being chased by hunters but, perhaps because its appetite took over once it saw Kuon and Sarah, it started narrowing the distance between them, its legs squirming at a speed faster than the eye could see.

Kuon's horse steadily gained speed, but Sarah's fell behind. When she turned to glance back, the creature's torse, gleaming like black armour, was already so close that she had to look up to it. It lifted and waved one of its legs, with its claws sprouting from the bottom of it, casting a dark shadow over Sarah's face.

Turning his horse back round again, Kuon threw himself in the space between them. While the horse was neighing wildly in horror, Kuon had his legs firmly clenched around its flanks and used his sword to drive back the claws that were about to rip into Sarah. The horse and the giant beetle seemed to pass by each other.

Kuon planned to use that moment to cut another of the beast's legs, but instead, his horse's flank was torn through by one of the claws. The animal collapsed sideways, throwing Kuon to the ground.

Unfortunately, the armoured spider seemed more interested in the flesh of humans than of horses. It legs moving frenetically, it scuttled up to Kuon and leaned over him. On either side of his head were nothing but the claws attached to those legs.

Still facing upwards, Kuon swung his sword with the speed of lightning. He cleaved off the claws of the leg to his right as he rolled to the side. His movements were meant to have him crawl out from beneath the huge body, but he was a second too slow, and the talons from the left leg ripped into the armour on his back. They pinned the partly torn-off strip of armour to the ground. Kuon tried to hurriedly slice through the left leg, but because he was still half rolling to the right, he was unable to put any strength into his blow.

The armoured spider bent its huge body forward a little, its round head looming closer. Blackish and glistening with slimy fluids, it reminded Kuon of the mud balls he used to make as a child. Something heaved into sight from either side of that globular head.

Thousands upon thousands of fine orange hairs were closely packed together. No... every one of them was a razor-sharp fang. From the gaps between them, a viscous liquid oozed and seemed about to trickle down at any moment.

''Poison!''

Kuon forced strength into his limbs. No matter how great a warrior someone might be, if they were bitten by those posionous fangs, that would be the end. He struck his sword repeatedly against the left leg that was pinning him to the ground. But the creature overhead was entirely unperturbed by his blows.

Just as the fangs were before him, a gunshot rang out. Vibrations ran through the huge body and seemed to transmit themselves to Kuon.

The armoured spider shook violently. It's legs flayed up and down wildly and, in the process, the claw pinning Kuon down was luckily pulled away, allowing him to hastily roll away and escape.

Sarah's gun was still smoking as she came rushing up to him. Dismounting from her horse was what had allowed her shot to aim true.

The creature raged violently for a while before finally folding its legs and collapsing where it stood.

“Kuon, are you hurt anywhere?”

“I'm good,” he answered, breathing raggedly.

He had not been hurt, but losing the horses was a serious blow. Just like the armoured spider, Kuon's horse was lying on its side, breathing its last, while Sarah's horse had bolted when its mistress dismounted, fleeing in terror. Sarah shrugged.

“We can only...”

Had she been about to say that they could only go forward?

At that moment, the huge creature which was supposed to already be dead lifted itself up. It could only struggle halfway to its feet, but, faster than Kuon could push Sarah out of the way, it lunged for her ankle.

As Sarah collapsed with a thud, Kuon raised his sword high and struck at the top of the round head. Although he met with a resistance like that of hard rubber, his blow seemed to have been strong enough to be effective, and the armoured spider once more sank to the ground, belching out poisonous fluids as it did so.

“Sarah!”

This time around, it was Kuon who was worried for her, but Sarah, forcing herself to smile, had already started to get to her feet.

“I'm fine. You pushed me out of the way in time.”

“Really? Show me your injury.”

“I said I'm fine. Ah, hey, don't touch my skirt!”

The pair of them were about to start arguing when they both suddenly stopped. They could hear the hoofbeats of horses approaching.

A group of about eight riders appeared from the other side of the valley, avoiding the stone walls as they rode, and occasionally jumping their horses over them. Above their sleeveless clothes, which were dyed a bluish-green, they wore fur pelts. One among them also wore armour. They carried long-handled spears and guns, and although their physique and facial features were similar to those of the nomads of the plains, these people had slightly rounder eyes, and most of them had a red tattoo on their foreheads, painted in blood and in the shape of a dot.

“Who are you to have invaded our hunting grounds?” A man barked, his voice carrying a thick accent.

Without so much as pausing, they rode into a semi-circle surrounding Kuon and Sarah. One of them gazed at the corpse of the armoured spider, then shifted their line of sight and stared intently at Kuon.

“You're...!”

Similarly, Kuon also realised something with astonishment.

Among the men, this was the only one who did not have a tattoo on their forehead. Neither did they have a beard, and they seemed strangely slender next to the other hunters, but it was easy to understand why that was.

This was a woman. Or perhaps it would be better to say a ''former'' woman? Since 'she' had joined the hunters, 'she' must have abandoned the path of living as a woman.

“Aqua,” Kuon spoke 'her' name.

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| Back to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
| Return to [[Tales of Leo Attiel|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
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Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3 Chapter4

2018-06-01T07:04:24Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Chapter 4: Child of the Land== ===Part 1=== Having returned to Guinbar, Leo immediately sent out scouts. This wasn’t only because he was wary of Darren being in pursuit,..."

==Chapter 4: Child of the Land==

===Part 1===

Having returned to Guinbar, Leo immediately sent out scouts. This wasn’t only because he was wary of Darren being in pursuit, but also because he wanted them to investigate the terrain around Olt Rose.

Their defeat stemmed from a lack of information. Just a single piece more might have allowed them to predict how Lance’s troops would move.

After that, the other problem had been the number of soldiers. After meeting with Savan Roux, the castle lord, Leo had informed him that, “Darren is scheming to capture Guinbar,” and had ordered him to hire a great many more troops. This was, of course, to defend Guinbar, but also so as to add part of them to his own attack corps.

In other words, Leo had not yet given up.

As long as his information and troops were complete, he would probably have ridden his horse the very next day after his defeat, to raise his sword a second time, while the walls of Olt Rose and their surroundings were filled with the stench of gunpowder smoke.

Leo chaffed with impatience.

''‘Speed’ is crucial.''

He had already thought so when they went to capture Olt Rose, but the meaning was not limited to tactics on the battlefield: it also concerned his strategy for what to do after having subjugated Darren.

''Darren plotted Lord Leo’s assassination, and was immediately cut down at Leo’s own hands'' – He wanted that to become a reality. With just that, he would be able to speed up the plan to unite Atall as one.

He could not afford to have trouble simply because of one man like Darren.

“We need airships,” Leo asserted to Percy and the others. “There’s nothing better to investigate the layout of a battlefield. They would be useful for messengers too. Is there any way to get five or six… no, even just three would be enough.”

However –

While they were still only halfway through the preparations for the second attack, envoys came from Tiwana, sent by the sovereign-prince. He demanded that both Darren and Leo explain the situation to him.

“Your Highness, you are requested to leave at once for Tiwana,” said the envoy.

“My life was targeted,” Leo answered however, “I will not stay in the same place as Darren.”

Thus, he refused to go to the capital

A second messenger soon came to see him, but Leo again turned him down. Once the prince was wedded to Florrie, he would have the duty of being a 'bridge-builder' with Allion. Leo's assessment was that since the sovereign-prince was aware of the importance of this, he would yield if his son remained firm.

But Leo's actions at Conscon Temple seemed to have worried his father more than Leo had anticipated. When yet a third envoy arrived, the message he carried was:

“If Second Prince Leo refuses the summons a third time, I will have a notice proclaimed that he is to be chased down and dragged before me.”

In front of the messenger, Leo's expression remained calm, but he was inwardly surprised. If he had received that letter when he was alone, he might even have started trembling uncontrollably.

First, there were the “summons” to explain himself before the sovereign-prince. They had been sent out as an official document, and were synonymous to declaring that, “you are simply a retainer, not a member of the princely house”.

And needless to say, the “proclamation that he is to be dragged before me” was essentially an order to “capture a fugitive criminal”.

''Did something happen to Father?'' Leo wondered, completely blind to his own faults.

Once the messenger had left the room, Leo kicked the wall as hard as he could.

''I knew 'speed' was important.''

If he could have captured Olt Rose, he could have branded Darren a 'criminal', and then the situation would never have turned out like this. But it was too late for regrets.

“What will you do?”

In response to Percy's question, Leo’s expression looked like he was about to burst into laughter at any moment.

“What can I do except go? I want to unite the country, so I can't be the one to divide it.” His eyes were filled with anger and self-mockery. Yet even so – “I swear by all that is holy that we did nothing wrong. I'll explain that in person to Father.”

He did not seem to be in despair. Percy understood that, and nodded carefully in response.

“I understand. Then we too...”

“No. The only guard I'm taking is Kuon. Percy, there's something I want you lot to do for me.”

After a short discussion, Leo prepared what he needed for the journey.

Some ten days later, Leo was gazing the northern meadows as he arrived at Tiwana, the capital city, which almost seemed to be binding together patches of countryside. Before he even had time to wash off the dirt from travelling, he and Darren were summoned together before the sovereign-prince.

It was already evening by then.

''Father must be absolutely furious'' – thought Leo. He remembered how, after he had wilfully gone to meet with the king of Allion, his father had called him to his personal chambers to yell at him.

Leo steeled himself for having angry roars flung at him as soon as he appeared, but the sovereign-prince's expression, as he sat on the throne, was stern, and his gaze was equally cold, whether he turned it towards his son or towards Darren.

Apart from a few Royal Guards, there was no one in the audience chamber, and no other retainers present. Given how things stood, he probably wanted to bring things to an end as discretely as possible.

“Let's hear what both of you have to say about the reasons for this ruckus,” at Magrid's words, Leo was the first to speak.

“It was because Darren turned his blade against me,” he explained.

After telling about how he had been targeted by a surprise attack to the holiday resort area, and how about how he had just barely managed to overcome it, he went on to talk about how they had captured and interrogated several soldiers, who had confessed that Darren was the mastermind.

“That's impossible,” Darren Actica vociferously interrupted.

“What's impossible?” Leo shot Darren a sidelong glare. “We arrested several soldiers, and I can have them brought here.”

“Even if the soldiers were fooled into believing that I was the mastermind, it is nothing but a trap set by someone who wishes for my downfall. Something similar happened not so long ago. Sir Savan called me to his castle on the grounds that the leader of the marauders who were causing havoc at Guinbar's quarry apparently looked like my son. Your Highness Leo, wasn't that misunderstanding supposed to have already been cleared up?”

Darren deliberately crossed that dangerous bridge. In bringing up that past quarrel, he was playing the card that “Lord Leo has already suspected me unfairly before this.”

Leo had captured Darren's son, Togo, but he had deliberately presented him as a 'stranger' with the intention of subsequently blocking any of Darren's manoeuvres by keeping Togo under guard at Guinbar Castle. The prince had wanted, if at all possible, to draw Darren's faction to his side, but the way he had dealt with things back then had provoked a bitter enmity.

While Leo stuttered, Darren instead continued speaking.
[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03_179.png|thumb]]
“Your Majesty, there must be some nefarious actor at work who wishes to drive a wedge between House Actica and the princely House. His Highness Leo, who is known for the heroic way that he saved the temple, is honest and upright. It is for that very reason, however, that his emotions are easily provoked, and I fear that His Highness might have been duped by vile rumours spread by that nefarious agent.”

''How dare he...'' Leo felt like punching Darren in the face.

Standing there, next to him, was the man who had unmistakably targeted his life. Yet Darren didn't breathe so much as a hint of that fact as he calmly proclaimed his innocence to the sovereign-prince. Was this what was called a devil in human skin?

''Or maybe humans, who are supposed to be fashioned in God's image, are actually closer in nature to the devil?'' Unbidden fury filled his heart.

Leo was unable to smash through the play that Darren was acting out. In which case, what he needed were the words and attitude capable of swaying the sovereign-prince's heart and influencing the judgement he would hand down, but this discussion was something that Darren himself had originally asked for, and the sovereign-prince was increasingly inclined to view his son as dangerous. The odds had been stacked against Leo from the start.

While Leo could not say half of what he was thinking, the sovereign-prince raised a hand and stopped the two of them.

“Fine, I understand what both of you are saying,” his decision was more or less exactly what Leo had been expecting. “At the moment, I do not have enough information. Until I have had it investigated, neither of you is to start a fight with the other. Whatever the circumstances may be, I fully intend to punish whoever made the first move.”

Leo had no choice but to obey, while Darren had no reason not to.

Leo did not even stay three days in Tiwana. During that short time, Florrie had asked to see him, but Leo refused on the grounds that “my health isn't great.”

''Please be sure to make things up to Miss Florrie'' – it wasn't that he had forgotten Percy's repeated reminders, but right now, and even if it was Florrie, he did not think that he would be able to talk normally to anyone.

His tactics had been aimed at strengthening the central power by forcing the vassal-lords to submit, even through sheer strength if necessary. Yet he had tripped over the very first stumbling block. Leo was furious over his own incompetence.

He could not deny that he had been careless on every single point. Yet simultaneously, and for the first time, he felt irritated by his father, the sovereign-prince – ''Father doesn't understand anything!''

''The ruling House has to strengthen its central power – at least as it is right now, with the vassal-lords not even falling in line with its policies, we won't be able to compete against Allion and Dytiann. Even though everything I've done is for Atall's sake, why doesn't he understand ?''

When he and Darren had been presenting their excuses, his father's attitude had been strange: it had been that of a ruler, coldly and emotionlessly staring down at those far beneath him. Whenever Leo recalled that gaze, he could not help but feel chilled to the core.

He requested several times to have a meeting alone with his father, but was turned down each time.

Stark Barsley, who was in Tiwana at the same time, came to see Leo. It was impossible for Stark to feel anything but flabbergasted at Leo's actions, but outwardly at least, he simply gave advice like an elder.

“For now, you need to stay quiet. You cannot expect our sovereign to tolerate fights within our borders. And all the less so when one of the parties involved is his own kin. If His Majesty appears to be dealing with you so strictly, it is only to protect your House. Give it time, and His Majesty will be willing to listen to you.”

Leo, however, paid him no heed. In the end, angry, irritated and faintly uneasy, he returned to Guinbar three days after arriving in Tiwana.

Those at the head of Atall who gathered around the sovereign-prince only had an even worse impression of Leo because of it.

''His Highness does not understand His Majesty's heart, and will apparently only rely on Savan, who is loyal whom he knows to be loyal to him.''

''One of these days, he might come up with some other excuse and break into our territories.''

Darren, on the other hand, was gaining momentum He had lost his eldest son in a series of incidents, and his second son had been gravely wounded, but now he saw a chance to shift the blame, and started spreading all sorts of insinuations.

“It seems the prince bears a grudge against me for not having contributed to establishing his Personal Guards.”

Or else –

“It's doubtful whether that attack on the resort area even happened. Isn't it possible that he used marauders that he had to hand to try and stage his own little play?”

“As a faithful vassal to our ruling House, I stopped at merely sending the prince packing. However, while I am a tolerant man, if this happens again, then if the prince gets hit, it might not just be from a stray bullet. Let's hope he's learned his lesson.”

His words were vehement, but Leo, having returned to Guinbar, wasn't sitting idle either.

The Personal Guards had, for the time being, been garrisoned in Guinbar, but there was the risk that the sovereign-prince might soon declare that “until my judgement has been handed down, Leo is not to move any soldiers,” and then use that as a pretext for dissolving the unit. Before that could happen, Leo had his guards transferred beyond the sovereign-prince's reach – to Conscon Temple, which had a good relationship with.

The prince had already given Percy the order to take the Personal Guards away while he himself was in Tiwana. Since there needed to be at least some kind of official excuse for it, the explanation given was that they were going to perform large-scale joint drills. With Camus' help, the temple's bishop had written a letter to that effect to the sovereign-prince, and Savan would be shouldering the cost of having them stationed in one single place.

This was what Leo had been talking when, just before leaving Guinbar, he had said that there was something he wanted Percy and the others to do. Thanks to that, he had for now avoided having his troops confiscated, but it was no more than a temporary measure, and it did not change the fact that his military strength had been moved far from him .

Which meant that he would not be able to mobilise them quickly.

It was at around about that time that the target of the rumours actively being spread by Darren's side slowly shifted from Leo to Savan.

“From the time there was that banquet to welcome Hayden, Savan has blamed me for the attacks on his quarry.”

“That story didn't have a word of truth in it. Now that I think about it, it was from that time onwards that Lord Leo started getting closer to Savan. Could it be that Savan was planning from the start to trick the kind-hearted prince?”

“In that case, when the prince led his onslaught against our Dharam, Savan might have been the one pulling the strings from behind...”

Darren used people to circulate similar stories in Tiwana and in other castle towns. To Leo's mind, his goal was not only to criticise and checkmate the prince, but also to lay the groundwork for an attack on Guinbar. In the near future, he would definitely come up with some reason or another, then march on Savan's territory.

In a way, Darren's existence was emblematic of the vassal-lords. He had been pivotal to ousting the previous sovereign-prince, and he took great pride in his power, which all but allowed him to stand on the same level as the ruling House. If he captured Guinbar, then not only would his momentum increase, but Leo's ideal of “strengthening the central authority” would vanish completely, like a heap of sand in a child's sandpit kicked away by adults.

Stark had talked about “giving it time”, but if he just stood by with his arms folded, the situation would only head in a worse and worse direction.

''What do I do?'' Leo's impatience grew with every passing day.

Percy and Camus were both at the temple, so he did not have any advisors close by. He only had Kuon by his side to act as his guard. Currently, there was also Sarah, whom Camus had sent over “in case of communications with the temple,” but neither of those two were suited to complex talks about politics.

It had already been two months since he and Darren had stood before the sovereign-prince.

During that time, Savan had recruited a great many mercenaries, and had issued orders to the various keeps and fortresses within his domains. The principal keep lords and fortress commanders had gathered at Guinbar Castle, and in all, they managed to scrounge up two thousand soldiers. As was to be expected in a region that guarded the border, it was easier to find fighters here than in other areas. Their equipment, however, was old, and besides not having any airships, they only had a few guns and cannons.

Moreover, it proved impossible to keep that many men stationed at Guinbar Castle. Darren was gradually starting to bare his fangs.

He fell back on his old trick of using marauders to start skirmishes. Throughout all the villages in the area, groups of bandits, thieves and penniless mercenaries suddenly appeared, setting the houses on fire. They killed the men who resisted, kidnapped the women, and stole the crops and livestock.

The keep lords and commanders who had arrived in Guinbar Castle were forced to hurriedly go back to where they had come from and deal with the attackers. The castle's defences continued to be chipped away, and Leo's impatience turned into anger and irritation.

One day, unable to bear simply staying still, Leo dressed up as one of the people to go down to the castle town and take a look at the assembled mercenaries. In terms of numbers, there were quite a few of them but, just as had been the case at the temple, recruiting soldiers far and wide made it easy for the enemy to slip spies in among them.

''How many of them can I actually use?''

Among the soldiers were some who had been labourers, working on the church's construction until just the other day. Was it because they had decided that they far preferred wielding a spear to cutting and carrying stone, or was it perhaps because the church might be destroyed if the town was attacked, and so they had chosen to take a stance to defend their work?

That church was where Leo and Florrie were supposed to one day hold their wedding ceremony.

''If Guinbar is set alight, I'll lose my authority. Relations with Allion and the temple will become uneasy.''

It happened on the way back...

All of a sudden, among the people who were coming and going along the night-time streets, two men who were entangled together, came tumbling into view just in front of Leo. A fight had broken out between ruffians who had come to work as mercenaries in the tavern which doubled as their inn.

To the startled Leo, it felt for a second as though Darren's assassins had come to target his life. The story about how Darren's oldest son, Togo, had been killed with a single strike to his back flashed through the prince's mind.

Kuon was with him, acting as his guard, but since they were pretending to be part of the populace, neither of them carried a sword. Kuon quickly stepped in front of the prince.

“You taking that bastard's side!?” One of the brawlers misunderstood his action and thrust Kuon aside.

The boy dodged his arm and delivered a kick to the man's stomach.

The assailant was knocked backwards but the blow must have been a shallow one, since he immediately got back on his feet. He unsheathed the sword at his waist with a cutting motion.

Although he had intended for it to be a threat, Kuon instead drew right up to his opponent. While the man panicked in his confusion, a fist struck him in the throat, and the sword was snatched from his hand.

“Kill him,” Leo ordered.

“Hiii,” the man shrieked, and sank to his knees.

Just in the instant when Kuon stepped up towards him –

“Wait,” Leo cried, changing his mind.

He was too late, however, and the blade whistled through the air.

Leo gasped and the flash of steel halted. The tip of the blade quivered right before the man's eyes. These promptly rolled until only the whites could be seen, and he fell in a dead faint. The people who had been coming and going along the street, as well as those who had come out from the tavern, broke out in chatter. Leo and Kuon hurriedly continued on their way back.

“Kuon,” after a while, the prince called out to his bodyguard, who was scanning their surroundings in every direction.
“What is it?”

The prince stared intently at the boy. Leo had held a sword; stopping a blade which had gathered momentum required a corresponding amount of strength and leg power. Yet Kuon had halted that sword without staggering even by a single step.

“You never actually intended to kill him, did you?”

“Sorta...”

“Hm?”

“I sort of thought that you wouldn't want to go through with it, Prince.”

“I wouldn't want to go through with it? Atall's Lord Leo isn't that soft-hearted. You saw how I cut away at Darren's soldiers, didn't you?”

“...”

“I told you to kill him. A soldier obeys orders.”

“But...”

“Enough,” Leo started to walk even faster. He realised himself that his nerves were on edge. Having a retainer ignore his orders out of concern for him was no good, so part of the reason for his irritation was anger at himself.

After taking a few more steps, however, he stopped. Sarah was in front of the castle's drawbridge. She was, as usual, dressed in her novice's robes.

When Leo waved his hand, Sarah looked relieved and came up to them. Kuon wrinkled his nose.

“Why're you here?”

“Because the two of you disappeared from the castle. I came rushing out because I was worried that something might have had happened.”

Everything about her speech and demeanour revealed that Sarah must have received a high level of education, yet whenever she was speaking to Kuon, her tone became oddly common.

“I'm with the prince.”

“Then that's even more reason for concern,” she stuck out her tongue, which irritated Kuon.

“My skills are trustworthy.”

“Your arm is, yes. But that's only if things are straightforward. If I was an assassin, I could think of a hundred ways to get you away from the prince. I could run after pretending to make a first attempt on his life, and lure you away; or else I could shout out 'over there, there's an enemy general you can kill to earn glory'; or I could win you over with the luscious skin and flesh of a sexy and scantily clad woman… ah, but that might be kind of a pain. Or even more simply, I'd just have someone jeer at you and say 'Kuon's an idiot, a fool, a stupid-face,' and you would immediately abandon the prince's side to go chase after that person.”

Leo's eyes opened wide. Sarah's tone and attitude were exactly the same as if she had said, 'Alright, my lad. Come at me from any angle.” Yet what was surprising was that she herself wasn't trying to provoke Kuon. What brought Leo to that realisation was that she got angry as Kuon became irate from her deliberately taunting him.

Even now, Kuon was yelling, “What's that, bratty girl?”

“Even if you call me a 'bratty girl', you're still younger than me, Kuon. Monkey boy, stray dog,” she barred her teeth and fought back.

Leo cleared his throat and Sarah put a hand in front of her mouth, her expression saying 'Oops'.

After a moment, Leo indicated one of the high-restaurants that could be found in the quiet side streets.

“Let's stop by there,” he suggested to the other two.

From the staircase, the first and second floors were no different from those of other restaurants in the area, but the third floor was a series of private rooms for the use of honoured customers, and Leo entered one of them. The three of them sat at the fairly large table there.

Leo drank a mouthful of ale flavoured with ginger. It was certainly not high-quality alcohol, but right now, he wanted the stimulus.

“What’s going on?” Sarah asked Kuon in a low voice.

It was rare to see Leo drink, and it was equally unusual for him to eat out or to invite any of them to share a meal with him.

“Nothing. It’s nothing you need to know about,” replied Kuon, which was tacit admittance that ''there is something going on.''

Sarah frowned, bristling.

“What’s that? Do you think that while I was away at the temple, you got closer to the prince than anyone? My, what a great and distinguished gentleman you’ve become.”

She had spoken in a low voice but, since their surroundings were quiet, Leo had also been able to catch what she said.
Kuon looked irritated but, just then – “Ah!” Sarah suddenly exclaimed so loudly that both he and Leo were startled.

“What is it now?”

“You… Have you grown a bit taller? You definitely have. Are you going to just impertinently overtake me? Here, turn around.”

“Shut up. And stop touching me.”

Leo laughed at the exchange between the two of them, which remained the same as ever and which was continuing on from earlier. Thinking about it, these two had been like that ever since he first met them. Back when they had been fleeing through the mountains in the dead of night, not knowing when Allion’s army might find them, Kuon and Sarah had been bickering incessantly, like two small birds pecking at each other, and Percy had to keep telling them off.

Then there was also the time when the battles at Conscon Temple were over, and Leo had invited the two of them, along with Percy and Camus, to eat with him and Florrie, his fiancée, since she had been saying for some time that she really wanted to thank them. She had not seen them since they had met in Allion.

The conversation had flowed pleasantly. In front of Leo and Florrie, Sarah had adopted a meek and modest attitude.

“I need to apologise to you all. Back then, I had completely lost my calm, and far from thanking you, I even…” Florrie had started.

Kuon who, after fidgeting about uncomfortably for a bit, had been stuffing food into his mouth at a startling rate, piped up:

“Yeah, I was really surprised when you turned a sword towards us, Lady. You looked like you were stronger than any of Allion’s soldiers.”

It was rare for him to make a joke like that, and Florrie hunched her shoulders as though she wanted to disappear from sight. Sarah had furiously berated Kuon.

“Do you want me to sew that mouth shut for you right now? All you’ve got is a nasty tongue and no manners,” she shouted.

“Those two are like that every time they see each other. They must have a really bad affinity.”

Leo said, while Sarah had still been going on at Kuon, but for some reason, Florrie had smiled slightly.

“Hmm. Who knows?” She answered, tilting her head.

Leo had realised something at that point. Namely: that women were a mystery.

He drank another sip of ale. It felt like it had been a long time since he had thought about Florrie like that.

Having gotten worked up, Sarah seemed about to drag Kuon up from his chair and force him to stand, when her eyes met Leo’s and she sat back down, her face red.

“I beg your pardon, Your Highness. I was causing a fuss.”

“It’s fine. More importantly… I’m the one who needs to beg your pardon,” Leo said, looking at Kuon.

“Eh?” Not surprisingly, the boy looked surprised.

“Despite your achievements, I haven’t been able to give you a reward.”

“Ah, no… that’s…”

“If only I’d done a bit better. Around about now, the Personal Guards would be double the number and you might be a company commander with five platoons under you, Kuon. Actually, no – since you’re familiar with every weapon and every way of fighting, it might be better to put you in charge of a troop of mercenaries who’ve come from all over.”

“That would be nice. But it’s story for much later, when Kuon is twice the height that he is now, right?” Sarah joked. “With Kuon’s current size, the mercenaries would just make fun of him.”

Kuon gave her sidelong look, but he didn’t protest. Perhaps he was mindful of the prince, but t it was also that he had never been good at dealing with being the topic of conversation.

“I’m fine as is. As long as I can eat every day, that’s plenty.”

He tried to quickly bring the topic to a close, but Sarah wasn’t going to let him escape so easily.

“What a strange fellow you are. All you would do every day was look irritated and say, ‘I want to earn glory, I want to earn glory’. And big brother would always say, ‘You’re still immature. You need to patiently hone your skills. Those who rush out to meet tomorrow before anyone else are the ones who will lose their lives without ever seeing that tomorrow’.”

Sarah lifted her eyebrows with her fingers and spoke in a deep voice, imitating her brother. As was to be expected from a sibling, it was surprisingly like him and Leo almost laughed. This time, however, he stopped himself.

Sarah was still going on,

“Even though you never seem to listen to what anyone says, starting with my brother, have you given up now? And in the first place, why were you in such a hurry to earn glory? Is it for money, or because you want to go up in life? Do you need social standing because you’ve promised to marry a high-class young lady?”

Kuon looked towards Leo with a completely fed up expression. Normally, this was where Percy or Camus would bring a stop to things, but, just this one time, Leo was not going to let Kuon off either.

“I’m interested too.”

“P-Prince…”

“I don’t know how you feel about it, but for me – who doesn’t have many allies – you are a trustworthy retainer, and also an irreplaceable companion, and even a friend. I would be troubled if you were to think ‘I really can’t earn glory as long as I’m around that prince’ and leave; or if you got too impatient and ‘died without seeing tomorrow’. If you have circumstances or reasons, then I very much want to hear about them. Of course, I can’t tell you that I’ll arrange for a new war tomorrow, but I might be able to help you in other areas.”

“…”

For a moment, Kuon opened his eyes wide with surprise as he stared fixedly at Lord Leo. He then almost immediately turned them away, unable to bear Leo’s equally unwavering – and far more enthusiastic – gaze. In the end, however, he gave an answer.

“There’s nothing…. amazing about my circumstances… my Lord,” Kuon said heavily. “There’s just that one prediction about me – maybe if it comes true, everyone will be surprised… but that’s all.”

“Who was it who made a prediction?”

“Old Granny Mist. A priestess to the god of the mountain, Tei Tahra.”

Sarah was about to interrupt, but Leo sent her a glance over Kuon’s head to stop her. ''Let me handle this'', it said. He then adopted a deliberately nonchalant tone.

“A priestess? I’ve heard that in the religions of the mountain lands and other remote areas, priestesses aren’t just women priests, but that they can hear the voices of the gods, and that their role is to convey the divine will to the people of this world.”

When he mentioned that knowledge that he gleaned from books, Kuon agreed in a subdued voice.

“They are like that… my lord.”

“Then, what is the prediction about you”

As Leo asked his questions one-by-one, Kuon returned answers, bit-by-bit. It was as that point that Sarah noticed: Leo was using their conversation as a starting point to learn about the place of Kuon’s birth. The boy had occasionally let drop fragments of information, but he had never seemed to want to follow them up by confiding everything about his past.

Which was why Leo was pretending to make casual conversation, repeatedly asking questions one after another in a deliberately dispassionate voice, and at a relaxed pace, so as to not put Kuon on his guard. And Kuon was carried along by that pace, like someone rowing a small boat away from the shore and who, while enjoying the slow, rocking motion of the waves, didn’t realise that they were drifting away from the coast. And so, unusually for Kuon, he continued to tell his tale.

He was by no means a good talker, and he tended to confuse his listeners with the way he unconcernedly brought up names and knowledge about the mountains that they were unfamiliar with. Nevertheless, Leo listened without getting impatient. Even if there was information that he wanted, he never tried to jump straight to the answer he was looking for, and always advanced methodically, step-by-step.

Sarah was anything but patient, but although it was sometimes so irritating that she was almost shaking, she too gradually got an understanding of the full picture.

===Part 2===

Kuon was born and raised south of the Kesmai Plains, at the foot of what was known, in the principality, as the Fangs Mountain Range. The settlement that existed there naturally had its own distinctive beliefs and culture, separated as it was from the outside by rugged peaks.

It was also for that same reason that neighbouring countries did not send armies against it. Less prudent powers, however, had time and time again attempted to invade. Criminals chased out from their own countries, bandits, as well as nobles or generals who had fallen into ruin had all tried to break into those isolated lands and turn them into their new stronghold.

And each time, the young men from the village picked up their weapons and fought back.

While the overland route was almost inaccessible, they had built a port in the bay, and through this, they had some – very limited – contact with the outside, which meant that they held a large number of weapons, including swords and guns.

Most of those who lived by the mountain remained there for their entire life. They naturally had the advantage of terrain and they were subject to none, so their sense of independence was unusually strong compared to people from other lands. They banded together with terrifying solidarity whenever anyone from the outside threatened their families, their livelihood in the mountains, or tried to defile the sanctuary to Tei Tahra, the mountain god.

Kuon was born a member of those ‘mountain people’. However, as he himself had once said, he was not a ‘pureblood’ from the mountains.

At one time, a mercenary from ‘outside’ had strayed into the tribe’s bay.

The man had apparently been on the losing side of a naval battle, and had drifted for many days in a small boat, until he had washed up in their gulf by chance. The tribe’s punishment for entering their land without permission was death, but because the man was so haggard and emaciated, and because the tribe head wanted information about the war that had taken place on the southern sea – there was, after all, the fear that trouble might come to them – he was allowed to recuperate in the village for a while.

A few months later, the man had recovered and, perhaps fearing that he would killed by these barbaric savages, he fled the mountain under cover of darkness.

Yet by that time, one of the women of the tribe was carrying his child.

That child was Kuon.

They were a people who had built a world for themselves and, for a very long time, no foreign blood had entered it. Mother and child were, of course, treated harshly. They were entirely forbidden from taking part in the village ceremonies, and were never invited to other houses.

Whenever Kuon wandered around, playing by himself, if other children of the same age caught sight of him, they would jeer at him –

“Look, it’s Kuon.”

“Only half his blood is human. He was born when an evil spirit impregnated his mother.”

Their tribe believed that a person’s forehead was the doorway to their soul. And since good and evil spirits were constantly feuding in the mountains, the people feared that the evil spirits would enter someone’s forehead and control their body like a soul would, turning them into ‘betrayers’ who harmed the tribe. Because of that, members of the tribe marked their foreheads with a protective charm. On each and every one of them, the shamans who served as priests tattooed a red, oval-shaped bead surrounded by an intricate pattern.

If the tattoo was given to a young child, however, it was said that, “it will hinder the influence of the good spirits, and will stunt the child’s growth,” so the tattoo was permitted only to those who had come of age and who had their own families.

Still, the balance between good and evil spirits varied considerably according to time and season. Once a year, Tei Tahra’s protection weakened, and evil spirits were said to proliferate within the mountains; it was only during that time that children were allowed to wear charms. Early in the morning, their father would lift them onto his lap and paint the protective pattern on their forehead with red dyes.

Only Kuon’s forehead remained bare at those times. Women were forbidden from drawing the amulets against evil spirits. He had no father, and he and his mother were estranged from her relatives, so there was no one to draw the charm for him.

And so, the children taunted him more than ever.

“If you touch him, evil spirits will come for you!” They said as they hurled stones at him.

Kuon had been hot-tempered ever since very young, and he threw stones back. While they were running away, screaming with excitement, he caught them and deliberately struck them on their hated foreheads. He was, of course, at an overwhelming numerical disadvantage. Even more importantly, he did not have a single friend. The other children quickly surrounded him, punching and kicking him to their heart’s content. Kuon was covered in injuries, but if any of the others had even a single scratch, their parents would kick up a fuss.

They went to Kuon’s mother, protesting loudly.

“Drive out that loathsome ''beast''!”

“Tie it up to a pillar of the house!”

Kuon heard their angry roars time and time again.

His mother, who had broken a tribal taboo, had lost her right to her own home. Even when illness forced her to stay in bed, none of her relatives came to see her. Unable to bear hearing his mother crying out from a fever-induced nightmare, Kuon ran out of the house in the pouring rain, and left the village at the foot of the mountain.

He had gone to beg for help from the shamans. Usually, they lived in isolated retreats in the mountains, far from other people, and he had heard that they were knowledgeable about illnesses and medicine. But a child’s feet could not travel very far. He walked for an entire day and night but, in the end, he did not find any of the shamans, and could only return to the village, drenched through from the rain. When his mother’s older brother saw Kuon in that state, maybe he felt some compassion after all, because he secretly brought them medicinal plants, and concocted a remedy that he had once learned from a shaman.

Kuon’s mother had always been in frail health and, when he was eight, she died of a chest illness. For a while, the tribe argued over what to do with him. None of his mother’s relatives wanted to take him in.

In the end, a man called Datta Wei took charge of Kuon, giving as his reason that “my house needs an extra pair of hands.”

Datta Wei.

He had a surname, which meant that he was a warrior.

Datta had about two hundred subordinates, all of whom also bore the name ‘Wei’. His wife, on the other hand, could not take that name, and neither could his own children unless they officially joined the unit once they were adults.

The same, of course, held true for Kuon. Even though he received food and a place to sleep, his position was close to being a servant, and his circumstances had certainly not improved.

The adults still despised him, especially the women who looked down on his mother for her ‘wanton’ behaviour. The children from the same age-group as him also continued to bully him. Datta’s son, Diu, was particularly violent about it. He was three years older than Kuon, and was always going around saying,

“Don’t speak to me like we’re equal, you fucking ‘unwanted spawn’. I’ll definitely became a man of the ‘Wei’, but you won’t. If you go to the battlefield, it’ll just be to die as a shield for me or my father. Now doesn’t that sound nice?”

Without a word of warning, he would knock him down as soon as he saw him. He stole Kuon’s share of food, then kicked him in his growling stomach. Diu was outstandingly good at hiding his behaviour from his parents and from the comrades-in-arms of the ‘Wei’, while Kuon got pushed around as the lowest-ranking member of the household. On top of doing a servant’s work inside the house, he was always sent out to accompany the hunters.

– If asked whether he felt nothing but unhappiness at his circumstances back then, Kuon would have to say that he couldn’t really remember.

Of course, he resented Diu. The other boy was older and larger than him and, because there were adults around, Kuon couldn’t fight back like he used to.

Naturally, he felt depressed. But at the same time, to Kuon in those days, the mountain life that existed thanks to the blessings from Tei Tahra was the only world he knew.

''The world outside…''

His imagination ran rampant about it. Whenever he heard the adults who worked in trade at the port talk about the surrounding countries, he always told himself –

''One day, I’ll leave the mountains and go to other lands too.''

That wish grew especially strong right after his mother’s death. Surely there, the children his age wouldn’t throw stones at him, and the adult women wouldn’t gaze at him in contempt for no reason.

As he got older, that simple, innocent yearning turned into slightly more realistic plans, as he thought about whether to run away one night through the mountains, or whether to steal a boat from the harbour and row himself into the open sea.

Yet at the same time, Kuon had a tremendous fear of breaking the mountains rules, which also came from the fact that he was not a pureblood. His existence was one that the mountain rejected and, if he failed to follow along with its god and its people, even if only by a little, he was terrified that he might be eliminated. His young heart never stopped trembling from that one fear.

In particular, there was the coming-of-age ceremony, which was performed once a year. This was the time that Kuon feared the most. As a minor who could not take part in it, he had no way of knowing anything about the ceremony itself, but when the time for it drew close, a ‘betrayer’ would inevitably appear within the community.

During that period, the priesthood spoke as one, saying that:

“The mountain’s energy is changing. The good and righteous are starting to go into hiding, and the evil spirits are starting to swarm.”

The mountain god, Tei Tahra’s, divine protection was at its weakest at those times. During that period, hunting was restricted, fishing was completely banned, and it was forbidden from leaving the house once the sun had set. This was also the period during which fathers drew the protective charms on their children’s foreheads.

Moreover, it was said that, “those with evil thoughts are easily possessed. Those who do not believe in Tei Tahra’s divine protection, those who disagree with the decisions of the tribe head, and those who use their cunning to deceive others – all of them have wicked hearts which can be drawn in by evil.”

Because of that, Kuon was made fun of even more than usual at those times.

“The only thing you can do, Kuon, is to stay and tremble inside the house. You’re not a pureblood, and you don’t have the charm either, so there’s no way Lord Tei Tahra will grant you His protection. You’ll get possessed as soon as you breathe the air outside.”

“Don’t worry, if that happens, I’ll exterminate you along with the evil spirit!”

Kuon pretended not to be the slightest bit scared of their threats, but inwardly, his anxiety grew exponentially: for all that the people of the community usually faithfully observed the taboos, during this time of the year, there were always some who became possessed by evil.

Once a year, a single trail of smoke would rise in the evening sky.

“Look, look!”

“The great shamans are casting the protective spells against evil!”

Pointing at it, the villagers would start clamouring.

These spells were cast because this was the one day when Tei Tahra’s protection was all but lost and, before long, a member of the tribe would inevitably vanish.

There was never any exception.

One of the men from the village would definitely disappear. Sometimes it was an old man of over sixty, sometimes it was a child who had yet to undergo his coming-of-age ceremony. That man was called into the mountains which were overrun by evil spirits, and it was said that one night, he would stagger aimlessly into the wilderness, responding to those summonses.

The family grieved for him, but there was nothing they could do. Once someone became possessed by evil, they were no more than ‘a betrayer who will harm Divine Tei Tahra and the tribe.’ It was said that not even the shamans could exorcise them.

Kuon had never seen anyone who was possessed by evil spirits, but it was for that very reason that a strange terror enveloped his heart. “This year, you're the one who's going to go missing” – whenever they pointed at him and said that, he couldn't help but shiver uneasily.

He wondered where those who were possessed by evil went to. What were they looking for, there, beyond the protection from God and the mountain? He wondered if maybe, before going to sleep, he should ask someone to bind his hands and feet. So that he wouldn't be able to stagger out into the night.

''I don't have a wicked heart. I hate Diu and that bastard Tubai, but I've never thought of killing them. Lord God Tei Tahra, I'm not a pureblood, but I'm part of your people. Please protect me. Please don't let me be carried off outside.''

Up until the moment when he fell asleep, he would desperately pray in silence, while drawing the protective charm with his fingers again and again. It seemed to work, because Kuon never became a 'betrayer'.

Or at least, not until he came of age.

Among the children of the same age group as Kuon, there was a girl called Aqua.

She was a year older than him. Since very young, she had joined in with the boys, and loved playing with slingshots, duelling with sticks, or any kind of rough game. Ostracised by the boys his age, Kuon sometimes became a target for them to throw stones at, and Aqua also took part in that.

When she was eight or nine years old, she was thin, swarthy-skinned, and when she laughed, she seemed to be missing several teeth. Since he didn't have much to do with the other children his age, for a long time, Kuon didn't even realise that Aqua was a girl.

He was nine by the time he noticed it. By then, he had already been with the Wei household for a year.

That day, he had gone hunting with his seniors from the Wei. Although having said that, Kuon's role was, at best, to carry bags, drive the prey to the hunters by shouting, and generally just run around; he had not yet received a gun or a bow. When they were heading back, a bird suddenly flew out from the undergrowth, and one of the hunting dogs belonging to the Wei household followed after it and disappeared off the path.

Having been ordered to “Look for it and bring it back,” Kuon waded alone into the bushes, calling its name.

Stepping out onto the path on the other side of it, he found Aqua, equally alone, coming down from the mountain. She was holding a small bow in her hand. Her eyes were brimming with tears but, when she saw Kuon, she glared sharply at him.

“What are you looking at?”

“I'm not looking at anything. I'm searching for a dog. I've got nothing to do with you.”

“A dog? Hmph, well you are basically being kept by the Wei. So the pet dogs get along well.”

Kuon didn't offer a retort and continued with his search, but Aqua came with him.

“Why are you following me?”

“I'm not following you. I'm looking for prey. Don't lump it with a kid's chores.”

It wasn't rare for women in the mountains to have guns or bows. Quite the opposite: be it for self-defence or to be ready for when invaders broke into the mountains, women were generally encouraged to be familiar with weapons. And in practice, whenever there were trespassers seeking to harm the mountains, women joined the armed units to go and greet them at gunpoint.

Unlike fighting, however, only men were allowed to go hunting. The mountain god Tei Tahra had only bestowed unto men the right to track the birds and beasts that came under his jurisdiction, and, although they could go fishing, no woman was ever permitted to hunt.

Aqua was not happy about it. She was sure that, whether it was at using a bow or at advancing along the mountain paths, she would do much better than any boy her age, so she was constantly pestering the hunters of the 'Holo' and her father, the head warrior, to “let me go hunting too”. Since her father had always firmly refused, that day, she stealthily tailed the hunters. She believed that she could earn recognition if she managed to bring down at least one bird or animal but, in the end, the adults had found her and, after giving her a harsh scolding, they had sent her away.

Which was when she met Kuon.

The bow she held in her hand seemed to be something she had made herself. Perhaps she thought that Kuon had realised it, given that it was considerably smaller than the ones used by adults.

“This bow is much stronger than it looks,” Aqua said proudly, even though she hadn't been asked anything. “The guys who can only bring down beasts with huge weapons are the ones who are really idiots. They don't have any dedication.”

Maintaining a reasonable distance between one another, the two of them continued to search the mountain, but neither of them obtained any results.

The sun had already started to set, and night was the time when Tei Tahra transferred his protection from the humans to the beasts. Unless there was a compelling reason to make an exception, hunting at night was forbidden.

Kuon turned to head back to the village, but Aqua berated him for it.

“Coward. Your unit gave you a mission but you're abandoning it halfway – how are you even a man? This is why you're just a halfwit.”

Kuon was completely fed up by then.

“Shut up. The guy who was sniffling because the adults got angry has nothing to say. ''You're'' the one who's not being a man. You want me to try Lord Tei Tahra's 'thousand arrows of courage on you?”
[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03_213.png|thumb]]
Shouting loudly, he took a step towards her, and Aqua's shoulders suddenly jerked in surprise before her expression quickly turned to fright.

Up until then, Aqua had joined in with the boys when they insulted Kuon, and thrown stones or sticks at him from afar. When he had angrily chased after them, everyone would run away laughing, or would gang up to attack him. It was all part of playing.

But judging from Aqua's expression, she had just realised that now, she was all alone. She closed her mouth shut, hunched her shoulders, and shrank away from him.

Kuon was bewildered by her reaction.

At that moment, the bushes in front of them started to rustle, startling both of them. Something was making its way through the tall grass and would soon be in sight.

In the distance, they could hear the voices of adults calling their names to one another. This was probably the prey they were chasing after.

Kuon was ready to leave at once, but Aqua's expression turned from fear to delight as she readied her bow.

“What're you doing? Run away!”

“If you want to run away, do it by yourself. The first kill I'll bring down has come to find me all by itself!”

Just then, scattering blades of grass in its wake, a grey-brown wild boar appeared.

It was huge. It was so massive that it looked like it could keep running even if Kuon and Aqua both clung to the mane along its back. What drew the eye more than anything were the tusks that curved higher than its snout.

Aqua shot an arrow, but she her timing had been far too hasty. She had been too impatient. She immediately nocked another arrow to her bow but, this time, she was too slow. Lowering its head, the boar charged.

Kuon could picture how Aqua would be flung into the air, and he rushed forward. While he ran, he picked up rocks that were rolling at his feet, and hurled them at the boar.

Aqua fell backwards. Just as she was about to be trampled underfoot, the second stone that Kuon had thrown struck the boar. It almost hit it in the eye.

The boar backed off noisily.

Just then, adults armed with spears and guns arrived, and the boar, with a high-pitched cry, changed its course and fled.
The adults were surprised to find Kuon and Aqua there. They raced after the beast without a moment's delay, but as they were doing so, and because the children had gotten in the way of the hunt, they told them something that was sure to scare more than anything:

“We'll have the shamans punish you after this.”

The shamans, who lived in mountain hermitages away from human settlements, were said to transform children who bothered adults into beasts who prowled the mountains.

“You alright?” Kuon reached out to touch Aqua's shoulder as she started to get up, but his hand was shaken off.

“I couldn't bring it down,” said Aqua, hanging her head. Her voice was shaking, maybe because of how frustrated she felt. The next moment, she lifted her face and screamed,

“It's your fault! If you hadn't interfered, I'd have killed it. Then they wouldn't have gotten mad. I'd have been accepted. I don't want to go to the shamans. I don't want to be turned into a beast or a frog. If someone's going, you go by yourself!”

She was crying as she shouted. She flung herself face downwards against the ground and wept loudly. She seemed to be at a complete loss. So was Kuon: he had intended to go home by himself, but he couldn't leave Aqua behind while she was crying. And that was because he had only just realised that she was a girl.

He stayed rooted in the same spot.

After about five minutes, Aqua stopped crying and slowly stood up. She threw away the bow that she had been holding the whole time and started to walk back towards the village. Kuon let her put a short distance between them, then started after her. As soon as he did so, Aqua looked back. He expected her to tell him not to follow her, but instead -

“What are you doing? Pick up the bow.”

“Didn't you just throw it away?”

“I'll give it to you. Something like that suits a child like you better.”

That was all she said before briskly walking forward.

Kuon couldn't remember if he picked up the bow or not.

Yet after that, Aqua didn't join the boys to play anymore. She didn't insult him or throw stones at him.

It wasn't because she had become meeker, though – she started to join the 'Holo' men in diligently training at archery.

A woman came of age when she turned twelve. That was three years sooner than the men. Usually, within the next two or three years, they would marry a similarly adult man and start to bear children. In a very small number of cases, the priests would find that a girl had an aptitude for becoming a priestess during the coming-of-age ceremony, and she would then begin her training. There was no right of refusal. It was a very great honour for a family to produce a priestess, so even though the training and religious learning were said to be harsh, there was no way for anyone to reject the call to serve near Tei Tahra, the mountain god.

Yet it wasn’t that there was no way at all to be allowed to go hunting or to be given a warrior’s surname. It was just that it meant giving up on being a woman.

Since girls were encouraged to handle guns and bows, there were sometimes, albeit rarely, women who demonstrated talent in using them that was equal to a man’s. “Perhaps God made a mistake when assigning them their sex.” In those cases, and as long as the person themselves wished it, they could be assigned to the afore-mentioned duties.

Upon choosing that path, however, one was no longer a woman. Naturally, they were forbidden from getting married or giving birth. If one of those people who ‘were born women but who are not women’ were to form a relationship with a man, then both of them would be banished from the community.

Aqua had apparently set her sights on walking a man’s path.

Yet contrary to her fervent desire, after a year or two passed and she had undergone her coming-of-age ceremony, in appearance at least, she gradually started to look more and more like a girl. “She really has become a beauty” – Kuon could remember how even Datta, the head of the Wei, had said so.

More and more men asked for her hand in marriage. One of them was Diu, who reached adulthood three years before Kuon. Yet Aqua refused them all. In order to be able to convince the priests and priestesses that she had a man’s talent, she continued to single-mindedly train with gun and bow.

===Part 3===

When Datta’s son, Diu, came of age, he officially entered the Wei, just as he himself had declared he would.

At the around the same period, Kuon received a bow for hunting, and his skill with it slowly became famous throughout the community. He had no fear of beasts. His arrows never missed the mark. He was fleet of foot when it came to giving chase…

Every time he accomplished another feat at hunting, the way that people looked at him, starting with his comrades in the Wei, began to change, and, at long last, his interactions with his surroundings also started to shift.

Perhaps he could be called lucky since, at around about that same time, intruders came to the mountains.

Upon being defeated by Allion, a certain powerful clan had braved the danger of crossing the Kesmai Plains to the southeast and of pushing into the ‘Fangs’ in search of new land. Although they had been driven back once, it seemed that had been no more than an advance party and the second time, when they were again spotted by the lookouts, they were marching in such great numbers that all the ground that should have been within sight was covered in the colour of their armour.

The mountain people needed as many fighters as possible. Accordingly, and although it was unusual, Kuon was incorporated into the unit before having his coming-of-age ceremony. He donned the leather armour that the unit had snatched away during the previous battle, hung a sturdy sword at his waist, and rushed onto the scene of actual combat.

Although it felt like his feet were going to be swept away from under him, and his mind was almost blank from fear, but all that disappeared the moment he charged at the enemy.

Every day, the seniors in the Wei put him through intensive training in how to use weapons. Having learned to hunt was also very useful when it came to fighting.

Kuon took down five enemies.

On the one hand, the tribe practiced exclusivism but, given the harsh environment that they lived in, it also applied meritocracy to an important degree. Kuon’s military achievements were so highly evaluated that they were greeted with cheers.

A year later, he took part in his second battle, which was also highly unusual and, as a result, Kuon officially joined the group of adults a year earlier than he normally would have.

“He is already on par with adults.”

“The mountain god wanted Kuon’s lifeblood a year early,” the priests all agreed.

Saying that ‘the mountain god wants his lifeblood’ was the same as talking about his death but, at the same time, it also meant that ‘the mountain god loves him’.

Kuon took part in the coming-of-age ceremony with the boys who were one year older than him. As I mentioned earlier, this took place in the period when Tei Tahra’s protection was all but lost. That year as well, three days before the ceremony, smoke was seen to rise from halfway up the mountain to ward off evil.

The next day, a man disappeared. He was an elderly fisherman who had also been a blacksmith, by the name of Gosro.
When Kuon heard about it, he was stunned.

Previously, he had never had any interaction with the men who vanished, but now that Kuon had been allowed to take part in hunting and fighting with the adults, he had gradually developed more of a relationship with his surroundings. Gosro was an acquaintance of his.

Once, when Gosro had told him, “my son prefers hunting, so I’m short a pair of hands,” Kuon had ridden in his boat and helped haul up the nets.

Gosro was nearing sixty, but his legs were still strong, and it was instead Kuon’s which were shaky on the unfamiliar boat. While Gosro repeatedly hurled rebukes at him, Kuon had desperately pulled up the nets.

When they had finally got back to shore, he slumped down in exhaustion.

“I’ll make you a sword,” said Gosro. “You’re small. You’ll need a sword that suits your build.”

The next time Kuon had gone into combat, the sword at his waist had been forged by Gosro.

It hadn’t even been three months since then.

''But why him?''

Rather than grief, what Kuon felt the most strongly was confusion. Gosro was a heavy drinker, he could be rough, and he was a merciless commander on board a ship; Kuon had even heard that he had kicked his own son from the boat when he wouldn’t listen to him. But at the same time, he loved his family, he never forgot to pray to Tei Tahra, and was generally very well-liked.

How could a man like that be possessed by evil spirits? Kuon found it hard to believe.

Be that as it may, the day of the ceremony arrived. Kuon had eagerly been counting down the days to it. At long last he, the ‘unwanted spawn’, the one ‘who’s blood is only half human’, the ‘beast’, would join the lines of those whom Tei Tahra would recognise as adults.

This should have been the most splendid day of all for him.

Although it was called a ceremony, the first part of the proceedings was unspeakably dull.

Early in the morning, he was shut away in a hut with the children who were a year older than him, and made to listen to long, tedious legends about Tei Tahra and the mountain people.

Afterwards, they went to the sea. Not only was it forbidden to go fishing on the day of the ceremony, but other people were also prohibited from going near the shores. There, they were daubed in multicoloured dyes by priestesses young and old who had purified themselves beforehand. The symbols that were drawn on them meant that they would have appearances befitting of warriors when they went before Tei Tahra. The boys pointed and laughed at what each other looked like.

It was the first time that Kuon had ever had the protective charm applied to his forehead. While the priestesses’ fingers skittering over his body felt ticklish and embarrassing, at the same time, he held an immense sense of pride.

From then until sunset, they sat around an open fire, passing around jars filled with alcohol and stuffing their cheeks with meat from beasts which had been consecrated for the occasion. More and more adults came to join them. While offering each of them their congratulations, they too drank, ate meat, and sang songs.

''What the…'' thought Kuon. Children who were not yet adults could not go to the ceremony. They were forbidden even from watching, and so were locked up at home from early morning onwards on those days. Because of that, the children’s imagination ran wild about what might be happening. Rumours flew about how “the priestesses dance naked,” or “they hold sword duels” but, now that he himself had reached the stage where he could attend, it wasn’t so different from the banquets that were held whenever the hunters brought back a large catch.

That, however, only lasted until sundown.

The adults left one after another, until only the boys taking part in the ceremony were left around the fire. The festive atmosphere changed completely, and in a silence as still as death, a new group of people appeared. These were the priestesses who officiated at the ceremony, several shamans, priests, the soldiers who were guarding them and, lastly, the strongest man in the tribe – the warrior Raga.

He wore a mask.

Raga was the name of a hero from the mountain legends. He was one of the ‘Five Honoured Ones’ who first praised Tei Tahra’s name, and in reward for the courage with which he had defended His shrines, the mountain god had granted him eternal life.

The myths told that –

“Even though life completes a full cycle every hundred years, Raga will be reborn again and again. No matter where or when, his sword skill will surpass anything within heaven and earth, and he will be entirely removed from the laws of death that he should have been bound by.”

Naturally, the ‘Raga’ before them now was not the hero from the legends. In imitation of how Raga neither aged nor died, every generation, the warrior who demonstrated that he was the very strongest would obtain the name and position of ‘Raga’. More specifically, during a festival which was held every four years, when Tei Tahra descended from the mountains, a tournament to decide a single winner was held between those of the men who asserted that “I am worthy of inheriting the name and soul of Raga.”

They fought with a single sword in hand, and because of how dangerous that fight was, it was not at all rare for them to kill each other. Yet nobody who killed another during that struggle or who fought until their own death was ever praised for it. Dropping their sword once their limbs were wounded, and recognising that they had lost was the correct attitude for a warrior to take pride in. That meant in turn that there was nothing more splendid than to win by giving a brilliant demonstration of the difference in ability without inflicting any fatal wounds.

Every time that festival was held, some twenty or thirty men met at the ceremonial grounds, sword in hand, and fought amidst that solemn, even stern, atmosphere. The last man standing was the winner, and he received blessings from the priestesses and the shamans, a ritual was held through which Raga’s soul was said to enter his body and, for the following four years, he abandoned his own name and became worthy of calling himself ‘Raga’. In imitation of the half-human, half-beast figure which God had given the warrior, he was given a beastlike mask to wear.

During those four years, ‘Raga’ held a special position within the tribe. He lived in a residence close to where the priestesses dwelt and, since the villagers brought him food every day, he was released from routine tasks such as hunting or fishing. When battles occurred, he was always given the chance to stand at the vanguard; for warriors, that was an unequalled honour.

On the other hand, since ‘Raga’ was the living symbol of warriors within the community, he did not take part in politics. He was required to remain silent during the frequent talks that the head of the tribe held with the village’s adult men. He could not give his support to anyone, nor could he ever oppose a decision made by the head.

Conversely, if there was someone else who was dissatisfied with anything the tribe head had decided, and if he reached the point where he believed that – ''Talking is useless. I need to prove I’m right through strength'' – then that person was obliged to fight a duel with Raga.

Those who fought Raga one-on-one had no alternative but to win. It was believed that the mountain god Tei Tahra granted victory to the one who was in the right. A man who was reluctant to go through with it, and who instead tried to change the situation by force – perhaps by recruiting like-minded companions and rebelling against the head – would never earn the respect of the tribe. Instead, as ‘a coward who ran away from a fight with Raga,’ he would become an object of contempt to men and women alike.

Accordingly, anyone who wanted to change any of the community’s policies had no choice but to face Raga in single combat. Yet that fight occurred under horrifyingly unfair conditions. The challenger was always placed under a harsh handicap, and it was the village head who had the right to choose what that handicap would be. For example, whereas Raga would be armed with his weapon of choice, the challenger might be forced to fight barehanded, or his dominant arm might be tied back with ropes, or there was even one ancient precedent in which a man was said to have been made to fight blindfolded.

Fighting against the strongest warrior in the community while being placed under that kind of handicap – needless to say, there was not a single person who was capable of winning. Nor had there ever been a single case of anyone overturning the head’s policy through strength.

There was no possibility of branding Raga a ‘coward’ or ‘unfair’. The decisions of the tribe head brought the entire community together, and they were made according to the advice from the priestesses, who could hear the voice of Tei Tahra. As such, there should not be any call to overturn them, and Raga ''had'' to win, in part so as to demonstrate the god’s infallibility.

So if one intended to claim instead that, “the priestesses have misheard Tei Tahra’s voice, and the head is taking a path that goes against God’s intentions,” and since Tei Tahra granted victory to the one in the right, then no matter what handicap they were placed under, they should be able to defeat Raga and prove that they were correct.

This then was Raga, who arrived in front of Kuon and the other boys.

Since the residence he lived in was near to the priestesses’ community, he was almost never seen. Even in combat, Kuon had only ever glimpsed him from afar while the warrior was commanding the troops.

While Raga watched, the soldiers guarding the priestesses came up to the boys, and each of them took the sword that was hanging from their waist and pierced the ground with them right in front of the boys.

''Don’t tell me there’s going to be duels?'' Kuon wondered if they were going to be told to prove their courage in front of Raga by fighting to the death with their fellows, but then again, he had never heard of anyone dying during the coming-of-age ceremony.

The boys exchanged doubtful glances.

“Soon, the betrayer will be executed,” Mist, the oldest of the priestess announced in a voice as raspy as if it was rubbing against a tree branch.

The priestess then explained again what everyone living in the community knew: that at this period, somebody would inevitably be possessed by evil spirits and would become a betrayer who would harm the mountain.

“When this time arrives, we give the soldiers, Raga included, the order to capture the betrayer. As you known, once someone is possessed by evil spirits, then even with Tei Tahra’s protection, we cannot expel the spirits from his body. The only way to save that person is to extinguish the spirits. The person’s life must be taken, after which, we cover their corpse in sacred ashes and purify it within the flames. You will undertake this ritual. Do not make a single mistake in any of the proceedings. Once you have purified the evil energy with your own hands, you will receive the path that will lead you to Tei Tahra after your death and, at the same time, you will be born in the true sense in these mountains.”

Kuon and the others were made to take hold of the swords. The open fire was extinguished, and only the pine torches held by the soldiers illuminated their surroundings with their red flames.

Thereupon, the ‘betrayer’ was dragged out.

That year, it was Gosro. Kuon had thought that he might perhaps have run away, but it seemed he had already been captured by Raga and the others.

At first, however, Kuon could not recognise the face which was supposed to be familiar to him. That was how much Rosgo had changed.

He was naked and tied up with ropes. Was it for some kind of magic spell that he was completely covered in white powder?

His entire body had been dyed pure white, and the only colour came from his red and bloodshot eyes. Yet they made him look even more like a demon which roamed the world of night.

His mouth remained gaping open, and drool overflowed from it as he growled like a beast. He sometimes scratched the ground with his toenails. Perhaps because he already done it so often, those nails were cracked and oozing blood. Most disgusting of all was how the ‘arrow’ that the mountain god Tei Tahra bestowed only to men was standing at the ready.

Gosro’s goggling eyes restlessly moved around and, when he noticed the boys standing in front of him, he gave a shrill shriek of laughter. Again and again, he jumped where he was, bending then straightening his back as he laughed.

The boys screamed.

Gosro was about to charge right at them. The soldiers who were holding the rope gave it a strong pull. By repeatedly striking him in his flanks and legs with the butts of their spears, they finally managed to stop his charge, but even though was now covered in blood, his shrill laughter continued to echo.

This was no longer Gosro. His sternness when he had scolded Kuon on the boat, and his kindness when he later forged a sword for him, had all vanished completely along with his power of reason.

So this was how atrocious possession by evil spirits really was? It brought you down to the level of a beast?

“Do it,” ordered Priestess Mist.

“Do it!” Raga shouted.

“Do it!” the soldiers raised their spears threateningly.

One of the boys made up his mind and pierced Gosro deeply with his sword. A howl like a beast’s rose to the heavens.
Another one did the same. Then another, until only Kuon was left.

Gosro was already dead. Yet even though he was dead, Kuon still had to jab his corpse with the sword. He was in tears as felt the sensation of tearing through Gosro’s flesh and organs. He stopped when he reached his breastbone, but an adult soldier pressed down on his shoulder from behind.

“Do it.”

He pushed the blade in further. Although he didn’t realise it himself, Kuon had apparently been screaming.

Afterwards, they all carried the corpse on their shoulders towards a different ceremonial ground where they tied it to a stake and, while the priestesses and shamans chanted the words of some kind of spell, they set fire to the kindling. As the flames flared into life, they crept up the stake and enveloped Gosro’s corpse. Kuon watched as the fire washed over the old fisherman's blood and blistered his skin.

“You did well. With this, Gosro and the mountain have been saved.”

Having finished reciting spells, Mist whispered as she stood behind them all.

“And with this, you have all of you safely reached adulthood.”

Kuon continued to breathe heavily for a long time.

The fire engulfed Gosro’s face. As his flesh burned, it gave off an unpleasant smell, yet in that moment, a strange sense of relief filled Kuon’s chest: with his eyes closed as though he were sleeping, Gosro’s face had once more looked like it always used to.

''We did it. We saved him.''

When that thought sprang up in his mind, he felt elated.

===Part 4===

Like that, Kuon was able to officially join Datta’s subordinates and to obtain the surname ‘Wei’.

Later, there was dancing around a bonfire and the priestess Mist, who headed the ceremony, threw animal bones into the flames then, after carefully scrutinising the fissures that had appeared, she made a curious prediction:

“One day, Kuon Wei will bring forth more gold that the mountains can hold.”

This was taken as meaning that Kuon would become a warrior without equal in the mountains.

“That’s something to look forward to, isn’t it Datta?”

The pillar of the ‘Wei’, that his friends were trying to draw into conversation, was usually a man of so few words that he almost seemed gloomy, but, this one time, he beamed with delight.

“He’s still just a half-size, but one day, he’ll definitely be skilled enough to even be able to compete for the position of Raga,” he squeezed Kuon’s shoulders.

At some point, the children of Kuon’s age started to gaze at him with envy. Nonetheless, half of the blood flowing through his veins was that of an outsider so, naturally, there was bound to be some who were not amused by this situation.

Chief among them was Diu Wei, Datta’s son.

Although Diu also possessed outstanding skill for his age, and the adults had applauded him for the excellent results he had achieved in one battle after another, he did not stand out given that Kuon, who was younger, had performed every bit as well as he had.

And now he too was already an adult. Publicly, he did not ill-treat Kuon, but because of that, hatred and impatience smouldered all the more strongly within his young heart. During hunts, he had already been told off by his father for giving Kuon one absurd order after another.

“I’m the patriarch of the Wei, not you. Don’t just go about giving orders any way you like” – that was the only meaning behind the rebuke but, this being Diu, he took it as implying much more. He was probably even afraid that – ''my father might be planning to leave the ‘Wei’ family to Kuon.''

About two years after Kuon had been accepted as an adult, invaders came to the mountains again. This time, it was a group of former mercenaries.

In Allion, where battles were never-ending, they had fought for a side that unsuccessfully opposed the king. They had fled after laying utter waste to several villages to create a distraction. Several platoons had banded together, and the men now numbered about five hundred.

In the mountains, there was a little under eight hundred men capable of fighting on the front lines. If you added in the women who fought with guns or bows and arrows, as well as the more elderly people who provided logistical support, then that number doubled.

Naturally, the Wei Unit was among those who were sent out to intercept the invaders.

As former mercenaries, these were well-used to fighting, and the mountain people did not have sufficient numbers to overwhelm them. Thus the fighting dragged on for three or four days.

The Wei Unit suffered damage because of it, and several of the seniors whom Kuon admired for being brave warriors were killed. Even so, they had an overwhelming advantage in term of terrain, and no matter how many of their companions were taken down, they continued to attack the enemy with undaunted daring.

Faced with that kind of opponent, and once they realised that they would not be able to easily seize the mountains, the former mercenaries abruptly started to withdraw. With the enemy pulling back, Diu, as Datta’s oldest son, organised a troop to give chase and deliver follow-up attacks on them. Its members were the Wei Unit’s elite, Kuon among them.

Datta was at the camp set up halfway up the mountain slope, and when he heard about this, he had a bad feeling about it; he chased after Diu’s troop on horseback, without taking a single soldier with him.

His instincts proved correct.

Diu had the warriors disperse to give chase to the would-be invaders, but he deliberately lied to Kuon about where they would join up again, with the result that Kuon found himself isolated right in the middle of their enemies.

All alone, he fought against the enemy troop. He cut down one, then two of their soldiers, but, because of his small frame, Kuon was forced to constantly be moving around and, in a situation where attackers were coming at him from all sides, his breath was soon ragged.

Who knew how many opponents he fought. Just as he was joining swords with yet another one, his legs were knocked out from beneath him and he fell backwards. The enemy figures vanished as he found himself looking up at the sky. Within it was the blazing sun and a few strands of clouds.

''Ah!''

In that moment, death was so close to Kuon that he could almost feel its breath against his ear. It was as though his consciousness, which had been wholly focussed on fighting, was about to leave his flesh and soar into that sky.

He experienced a strange sense of elation, a lot like he had at the coming-of-age ceremony. Perhaps it was the sensation of things coming together: life and death, the individual and the group.

“Kuon, get up. Get up!”

In that very instant, he heard Datta’s voice.

“It’s too soon for you to offer your blood to God!”

At the last possible moment, Datta came charging in on horseback, driving off the enemy soldiers who were swarming around Kuon.

Awareness returned to Kuon, and he quickly sprang to his feet. Datta rode his horse up to him while parrying the enemy’s spears.

“Get on, Kuon!”

Obeying his order, the boy nimbly leaped up behind Datta, and the horse broke away at a gallop.

Their enemies hurled spears at them, but Kuon quickly cut them down. When he looked at Datta’s broad back, it was shaking. Neither of them spoke. But then, neither had ever been talkative. Kuon had hardly ever seen him talking affectionately even with Diu, his own son. And yet, it was Datta who broke the silence.

“I won’t ask you not to blame my son,” he was speaking fast, entirely unlike his usual self. “There’s no doubt that he’s in the wrong, but he’s far, far more childish than you. The only reliable thing about him is his skill. One day, he and you will make the ‘Wei’ even stronger and more outstanding.”

Kuon didn’t make any reply. He was entirely focussed on the enemies chasing behind them.

At long last, their shouts faded into the distance. It happened at the same moment that the horse’s pace changed to a trot; Datta’s back, which had been like a bulky wall, gave a great heave, then he fell from the horse.

He had taken a fatal wound to the chest when he rushed into the enemy soldiers to save Kuon.

– As Leo and Sarah watched, holding their breath, Kuon – clumsily, bit-by-bit – piled his words one on top of the other.

“…And then what happened?”

Kuon voice was almost a mutter as he answered,

“Did I tie Datta’s body to the horse and go back to the village? Or did I leave Datta and the horse where they were? I can’t remember. But I remember Diu, screaming and crying with his face bright red, ‘It’s your fault’, ‘You killed my father’. And also, ‘You led him into a trap’. Well, I wasn’t a pureblood after all, so pretty much everyone believed what Diu said.”

''What the hell!'' Sarah was about to say something, her expression furious, but she just managed to hold herself back when Leo gave her a warning glance.

“And after that?”

In exchange, Leo prompted Kuon to continue in a serene tone of voice. Kuon blinked, as though he had just woken up.

“After that… After that? Right, after that, I came here.” Kuon pointed to the table. “I’d become a traitor to the mountain. It’s like I said earlier. Betrayers can appear even in the mountain god Tei Tahra’s sanctuary because evil spirits enter from the forehead. And that why betrayers are… how can I put this… right, in order to ‘purify’ them, betrayers are burned at the stake. Like what happened to Gosro during the coming-of-age ceremony. But I really didn’t want to be burned alive, so, as a betrayer, I left the mountains.”

“…”

For a short while, silence filled the room.

Kuon looked at Leo and Sarah in turn, a bewildered expression on his face. He couldn’t understand the meaning of that silence and it looked like he was mistakenly worrying that he might have done something wrong.

“I learned a lot; that was really useful. Thank you.”

After saying that, Leo let a while pass by before getting up from his chair.

“The bill has already been paid. I’ll head back to the castle first.”

“I’m you guard. Me too, I’ll…”

“The castle isn’t far. I’m not a child, so I’ll be fine by myself. More importantly, I’ve had you speaking for so long that you barely had anything to eat. I’m fine, I had plenty.”

Leo spoke in the same tone that he might use for a child, then left the private room. The sound of his footsteps disappeared from earshot.

“I wonder if the prince wasn’t hoping to be able to rely on the strength of the ‘mountain people’,” said Sarah, nibbling on cheese from the tray.

“What do you mean by rely on them?” Kuon drew the tray a little towards himself, worried that everything on it might get eaten. Although Sarah saw him do it, she didn’t get angry or make fun of him like she normally would.

“Darren might lead his troops any day now, the Personal Guards have been left at the temple, and the prince doesn’t have any soldiers he can make use of at the moment. So he was interested in the ‘mountain people’ that you’d spoken of before and, if possible, maybe he was thinking of asking for their help with you as an intermediary.”

“Don’t be stupid. That’s impossible.”

‘Right, it’s impossible. The prince also thought so after hearing your story. That’s why he didn’t say anything.”

“…”

Kuon remained silent and another short while passed.

“Gah!”

Kuon started at the sound of a voice. Sarah had apparently just tried the alcohol that the prince had been drinking, and had spat it out on the table.

“What is this? It’s disgusting! God grants us tongues to savour flavours, but those guys who can chug this down looking like it’s absolutely delicious must have had them pulled out!”

“Your brother does the same.”

“My big brother?”

“Once, when we were in a bar in Tiwana, he quarrelled with a whole lot of people. It was probably because he’d stolen Percy’s drink.”

“An act unworthy of a monk.”

Sarah crossed herself, teary-eyed and looking truly indignant. Kuon shook his head in astonished exasperation. He finally had a chance to score a verbal victory over Sarah, who was always attacking him. Just as he was trying to think of the right words to make fun of her, Sarah spoke first.

“You get it, right? …No, since this is you, you probably won’t get it unless you’re told.”

“What’re you talking about? You want to threaten me about keeping it a secret?”

“The prince was sorry when he heard your story. He’d asked you too much. Don’t forget that care for you. If it had been any other noble, even if they had to threaten you to do it, they’d have ordered you to link up with the mountain people, you know.”

Her almond-shaped eyes were faintly red. Maybe it was because she was already drunk, or perhaps it was because she was self-conscious about also having said ‘too much’.

Kuon shut his mouth tight again.

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| Forward to [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
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Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-06-01T06:58:56Z

Renuac: /* Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue-chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface-chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

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=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
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=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Child of the Land]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The Kesmai Plains]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter6|Chapter 6: Dangerous Pair]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
</div>
</div>
|}
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

User talk:Matrim22

2018-05-18T18:56:39Z

Renuac: Created page with "==Thank you== Hi, thanks for the thank you, and I'm glad you enjoy both series. -- renuac"

==Thank you==

Hi, thanks for the thank you, and I'm glad you enjoy both series. -- [[User:renuac|renuac]]

Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-05-16T21:02:01Z

Renuac: /* Updates */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* May 16, 2018 - volume 3 prologue-chapter 3
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface-chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">
=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
</div>
</div>
|}
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]

Tales of Leo Attiel

2018-05-16T18:36:35Z

Renuac: /* Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – */

[[File:Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|thumb|300px|Front cover for volume 1]]
'''Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ''' (レオ・アッティール伝首なし公の肖像/Leo Attiel Den – Kubinashi Kou no Shouzou) is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Okaya. Although set in the same world as Sugihara’s previous work, [[Rakuin_no_Monshou|Rakuin no Monshou]], there is no direct connection between the two series. ‘Tales of Leo Attiel’ is four volumes long and appears to have been discontinued.

==Story Synopsis==
The Principality of Atall lies between two great powers: the Kingdom of Allion to the west, and the Holy Dytiann Alliance to the east. Leo Attiel, the second-born prince, was sent to Allion as little more than a hostage, where he studied and trained in the military arts under a frontier general.
And now, the times have reached a turning point.

The relationship between Allion and Conscon Temple, a neutral land adjoining Atall, have worsened. Percy, sent from Atall as reinforcement; Camus, a warrior monk; and Kuon, a mercenary from a remote region, join forces to resist the looming threat of Allion’s army.

At the centre of the fighting, the three of them and Leo are about to have their fated encounter.

==Translation==

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
* This series is translated into British English.

==Updates==
* May 05, 2018 - volume 2 complete
* April 30, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 5 - volume 2 chapter 1
* April 28, 2018 - volume 1 chapter 4
* April 24, 2018 - Project started. Volume 1 preface-chapter 3

==Tales of Leo Attiel – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ==

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v01.png|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">
=== Tales of Leo Attiel I – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Prince Leo]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: The Youths at Conscon Temple]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Raising the Curtain]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: A Night of Encounter]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5: The People of Atall]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Banquet]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v02.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel II – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ([[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2|Full Text]]) ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter1|Chapter 1: After the Feast]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Sword and Mask]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter4|Chapter 4: Pale Flames]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5: Assiduously Running About]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter6|Chapter 6: The Battle of Conscon]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Chapter7|Chapter 7: The Fifth Arrow]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
</div>
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v03.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel III – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter1|Chapter 1: The Leo Guards]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Readying Weapons while Smiling like Gentlemen]]
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume3_Chapter3|Chapter 3: Bloody Sword]]
</div>
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="280" ; style="float:left"
|- valign="top"
|[[Image: Leo_Attiel_Den_v04.jpg|border|230px]]
|
<div style="float: left; width:700px;">
<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">

=== Tales of Leo Attiel IV – Portrait of the Headless Prince – ===
:* [[Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
</div>
</div>
|}
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

=== Translator ===

* [[User:renuac|renuac]]

== Publication History ==
* レオ・アッティール伝I 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865196-7, 2015-6-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝II 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865386-2, 2015-9-10)
* レオ・アッティール伝III 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865674-0, 2016-1-9)
* レオ・アッティール伝IV 首なし公の肖像 (ISBN 978-4-04-865949-9, 2016-5-10)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Tomonori Sugihara]]