Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume3 Chapter5 (section)

===Part 1===
Ax Bazgan had received the notice while in Taúlia’s Memorial Shrine.

“A request for an audience from Mephius’ Prince Gil, you say?”

“Yes.”

“Did he send a messenger? I won’t receive such a notice!”

Ax glared at the surrounding soldiers and slaves. He had little patience for when things progressed without his involvement.

“No,” the soldier delivering the message answered palely, faster than the slaves could tremble in fear at having roused their master’s anger. “Amongst the soldiers imprisoned, several have been freed. They carry a message from the prince.”

''Say that sooner,'' Ax’s blatantly showed on his face as he angrily took the letter from the soldier.

Ax Bazgan. Now aged at forty-one and as the seventeenth head of the Bazgan House, he stubbornly named himself the eighth Zer Tauran king succeeding after Yasch Bazgan, and it went without saying that he was the acting governor general of Taúlia.

With a large build and veins constantly bulging across his wide forehead, his eyes, characteristic of those of mixed Zerdian and Mephian blood, were a metallic grey, and though his eyes held vitality, there was a certain dimness to them.

“A conference in the Gajira Plains, is it. Hmph, not a single mention of our attack. I’m being underestimated here.”

Staring at the kneeling soldiers as if he blamed them for their defeat in the first battle, Ax tossed away the letter. Promptly catching it was the the strategist Ravan Dol, who waited behind him. Ax gave a sharp stare at the old man whose eyes followed along the letter’s words.

“Your strategy also came to nothing. Looks like you couldn’t predict that Garbera would conspire<!--arrange--> with Mephius to set up a cowardly trap for us. Thanks to that, I’ve lost soldiers and even had two precious long-range cannons stolen!”

“I believe I warned you it was too early.” Not the least bit perturbed by his lord’s anger, Ravan continued to scan the letter. “But the one who willed it saying this was a chance that wouldn’t come again was you, Lord Ax, despite me saying we should wait at least a week after Garbera withdrew. Because the enemy numbers are clearly so few, we wouldn’t know where they’d set ambush in wait. I had warned you over and over that if we didn’t carefully scout them out, the possibility we would be caught in a trap was high.”

“You must be satisfied, having my honour sullied like this in front of my men.”

Ax’s mouth bent in irritation. And shortly after, his simmering eyes softened a little.

“...Well? What do you think the Mephian prince’s aim is?” he asked in a surreptitious voice.

The old man, whose dark-brown wrinkled body was wrapped over by a single rudimentary cloth, replied,“I highly doubt he has hidden his soldiers to perform a surprise attack. It might be to restrain us or to ascertain the extent of our damages from the defeat by seeing it with his own eyes.” 

“Hmph, I’ve also considered those. That damned greenhorn who was only able to win thanks to Garbera’s timely aid is getting ahead of himself.”

“Garbera also has to tend to its affairs with Ende, so I suspect they will not stay for much longer. Short of soldiers, Prince Gil should be wanting to temporarily settle everything with his victory. Thinking along these lines, there likely won’t be any reprimands on our attack at the conference. Instead, he should be offering to negotiate with us.”

“Won’t there be any reinforcements from Mephius?"

“They did display movements almost as if they had predicted our attack, but the one to arrive to aid them was the Garberan army. It appears the reports describing the friction between Guhl Mephius and his son can be trusted.”

“Hmmm.”

Ax paced around the shrine’s hall. Step. Step. The irritation dying his face disappeared with the echoing of each footstep. Inside the Historical Memorial Shrine were the remains, documents and treasures accumulated over the Bazgan House generations shrined in a circle: mountains of jewels, models of temples, golden armours, and coffins engraved with pictured hieroglyphs. Even now, they told not only Zer Tauran’s, but also the Bazgan House’s splendour and brief glory. However these were not his ancestors’ bearings but rather mostly items plundered from province storehouses or those they bought back with money.

“Gil that coward...looks like he went crying to Garbera because he knew he had no backing.”

Ax bashed his fan against his palm. That too was an item handed down the Zer Tauran generations and furthermore, an item more important than anything else that could be found in the Memorial Shrine. Encased in its relatively thick handle was the Dragon’s Claw, the one item the Bazgan House brought with them when they fled Zer Illias. Ax held dearly onto this relic that was also known as the sovereign’s seal of the magic dynasty, and never allowed it to part from him.

He dreamed to take back the Bazgan House’s glory and power within his generation, no matter the cost. Ax drilled his soldiers, bought weapons from the north, and devoted himself to training the dragons everyday. Although many years had been spent repeatedly skirmishing with the other Tauran provinces, he had finally completed preparations to carry out large-scale military operations together with the northern Eimen. Eimen was one of the few comrades that valued the Bazgan House even after Zer Tauran’s dissolution and the country Ax’s older sister married into.

But half a month earlier, reports coming from Eimen suddenly ceased. According to the rumours that travelled past the desert and grasslands, three provincial states including Eimen had been integrated into an emerging power. The leader of this emerging force named himself a magician who could control the ancient arts, even referring himself by some blasphemic name and using some ridiculous power. But it was a fact his influence was spreading. And this magician had declared he would revive the former Zer Tauran with himself as centre. He had also decreed that, in accordance to the past oath, ‘all Zerdians are destined to gather under me’.

''That the likes of a magician dares to resurrect a country that rightfully belongs to the Bazgan House!''

Ax nearly lost himself in his rage. The other fortress cities were also shaken. Some feared this mysterious power that could overthrow three cities in the blink of an eye, while some burned with ambition that if they owned this power they would be able to revive the Zerdian’s country and leave behind their names amongst the rivalling lords. However, Ax belonged to neither group.

This much was as Noue foresaw. Ax wanted to immediately mobilise his army and destroy this abominable magician himself. However, 

“This is a chance that won’t come again, my lord.”

Ravan Dol had whispered to his ears.

Naturally, many states would try to resist this magician. But they would also have doubts whether this was an opponent they could face off alone. This was where the Bazgan House’s legitimate successor, Ax Bazgan, was meant to bring the forces togethers as its central figure through an alliance and rout the magician. Then he would permanently seal the impromptu alliance and declare the birth of a new Zer Tauran.

“However, in order to do that, Lord Ax,” Ravan sternly cautioned him, “you must make a show of power. Lineage may denote your noble origins, but that alone will not make people follow you in these turbulent times. First, you need power. Unwavering power exemplifying the creation of a new Zer Tauran.”

It was for this reason Ax set his sights on Apta. He would first take the fortress through sheer might, and then form alliances with the remaining Zerdian provinces. With their combined might, they could fend off any attack from Mephius while resolving the course of action to best engage the magician’s forces. Or, it was possible the Zerdians that became the magician’s subordinates would, at that time, be incited by the Bazgan House’s strong spirit and rebel against him.

“Certainly, if Garbera and Ende break out into war, it would throw the continent centre into disorder which is favourable for us. It is a time that won’t come again. Still, those Mephian curs. I thought they’d definitely aid Garbera and move their army towards Ende, but they haven’t even sent a single platoon out from Solon yet. Aren’t they being too cautious with us?”

“I wonder<!--(about that)-->. In any case, there’s nothing in Apta but Prince Gil’s own forces. It’s already the third day, but scouts have reported no movements from Solon. Ax-dono, you should agree to the conference. It would do well if we also directly probe the enemy’s intentions.”

“All right.”

It was his occasional display of irritation and anger on his face that Ax demonstrated the great trust he placed in this old man. He made a generous nod. 

“Regardless of the conference’s outcome, we have to continue preparations for war. Ravan, the new breed of dragons you mentioned, if we use—”

And before he could finish speaking, a piercing scream rang out. Fast as Ax drew the sword from his waist, a single maid came running into the Memorial Shrine.

“My lordship! The princess...Esmena-sama is!”

Hearing the pale maid’s frantic cries, Ax stopped in alarm.

“After me!”

Ordering the soldiers, he left the Memorial Shrine and travelled the inner castle walkways with haste. He wrenched his way through two, and then three bronze doors, leading into a garden surrounded by tall walls. A young girl was moving falteringly through a ceilinged passage that connected into the garden. What was bizarre about the scene was how despite there being three maids desperately clinging onto her legs and back, her strides were adamant and the girl continued walking, easily pulling them along as though unaffected.

“Esmena.”

Ax called her name sharply. However Esmena Bazgan did not respond. Her unkempt figure dressed in a thin nightgown unsteadily and insistently advanced forward, her gaze wandering absentmindedly.

“My lord!”

As Ax began running over to his daughter, his soldiers pinned his arms from behind.

“It’s dangerous! That bastard’s foul magic may have caused this. We don’t know what danger—”

“Eei, let go of me! I don’t care! Hold her down by brute force if you have to!”

Receiving this order, the fearless soldiers, adding onto the maids, held down Esmena. This time, being pinned by armoured adult men, even Esmena could not move. Ax had also shaken off the soldiers’ restraints in that interval and went running over to his daughter kneeling down on the pavement.

“Esmena, get a hold of yourself! Esmena!”

“...sama. …..sama”

Her normally faintly rose coloured lips were pale, and she continued speaking in delirium.

“Yes, your father’s<ref>Ax believes Esmena is trying to call out otou-sama, which means father.</ref> right here. Esmena, get a hold—”

“...r, da-sama, gar, da, sama, Garda-sama!”

Roughly alongside his daughter’s raised cries, the soldiers and maids also raised unsettled screams.

''Impossible!''

Gnashing his teeth, Ax grabbed his daughter with both hands. Her face was in contrast a crimson red, her eyes were narrowed in ecstasy, and her breaths came in ragged gasps. The nineteen year old Esmena, as if to bely her usual innocence, was now plastered in a bewitchingly feminine aroma. 

“Garda-sama, Esmena is here. Garda-sama, won’t you come see me?! —Garda-sama!”

<!--“Eei!”-->“That’s enough!”

In an outburst of anger and alongside some hint of jealousy, Ax slapped his daughter on the cheek. Esmena blinked with a start as if something had been knocked out of her, and placed one hand against her throbbing cheek.

“F-Father? I—Why am I...?”

Returning to her usual self, she stared at her father who gripped her by the shoulders. Ax breathed a deep sigh of relief. Oppositely, unease filled those eyes of hers whose colour mimicked her father’s.

“Could it be...that I...again...? Ahh, th-that’s right. I saw that dream again. Within the deep darkness, a voice from within a dreadful whirlpool layered like folds beckoned me. Countless hands reached out from there and grabbed my shoulders, hair, feet...”

''Ahh''. His daughter covered her face both hands, crying face down. Ax hugged her.

“Don’t worry. Everything’s all right. It’s just that you have a sensitive heart and were a little disturbed by those weird rumours about Garda’s revival.”

Giving a glance at the maids, he signalled them to escort her all the way to her room.

Even after Esmena had gone, the surroundings remained in tumult for some time. ''Tch''. Ax smacked his lips.

“I hope no weird rumour starts up again.”

“Will things really stop at a rumour?”

Saying this was Grand Duke Hergo Tedos, a man who had supported Taúlia after his father and was also currently an existence much like Ax’s right-hand man. His dignified face was now white as a sheet.
 
“Garda was a man serving as a Ryuujin priest in the former Zer Tauran. I hear that even after our founder Jasch Bazgan passed away, he defended the Zer Taúlia capital to his last. His whereabouts, along with the other claw, have faded...”

“And now, in 200 year’s time, you’re telling me he’s been revived? Ridiculous,” Ax spat out.

He tried to make a show of courage, but as he remembered his daughter’s spellbound face that he had seen close up, he could not suppress that feeling of something freezing over within him.

''This makes the third time.''

Esmena Bazgan had suddenly slipped out of bed, and like a sleepwalker unsteadily attempted walk out the castle while calling Garda’s name. The first time, he’d heard she tried to seduce the door guards stopping her. 

Ax was furious and was even about to cut their heads off right that instant to prevent the news from leaking. But just as he was going to do so, he was stopped by Ravan Dol.

To his horror, this type of incident appeared to have been occurring throughout the western lands. Young maidens of high stature all similarly muttered Garda’s name and wandered the castle night and streets with entranced faces like pilgrims trying to make their way to the former Zer Illias temple.

This was hard to believe, but nothing except magic could elicit such eccentric behaviour from his own daughter.

“Ancient magician or not,”

Ax’s face grew sterner and he ran his hand against the fan hanging on his waist.

“There’s nothing steel can’t cut. Stay firm, Hergo. I’d like to believe there’s no soldier so weak-willed he’d get disturbed by gossip, but there’s always that one in a thousand. Superiors must make a show of their valour.”

“Besides, our current enemy is Mephius. The Mephian imperials may name themselves descendants of the Dragon God, but they don’t actually expect any idiot to believe that, do they?” Ax scoffed.

He was a man who lived through the feuding west. Even if he harboured fears within, Ax was no fool that would so easily let it come on his face.