Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume9 Chapter6 (section)

=== Part 1 ===

Jozu Fortress was a small fort between Apta and Birac that also served as a relay base for air carriers. Three hundred soldiers were permanently stationed there. Their composition was a hundred regular soldiers dispatched from the urban districts and two hundred reservists recruited from the local population.

The fortress had only recently been built. Taúlia's attack on Apta had revealed a problem: that, for a border defence fortress, Apta was a little too far from any other base. Accordingly, while expanding the air carrier relay base that lay in the direction of Birac, a cluster of buildings allowing soldiers to be in permanent residence were also built there. The one who had attended to these constructions was Kalgan, an administrative official from Apta.

Normally, it was a place that never had the slightest disturbance and where the only gunshots to be heard were from soldiers who sometimes hunted in the nearby forest. These last few days however, it had been wrapped in an unusually tense atmosphere. This was because there was some suspicion about what was going on in Apta.

First was when a large number of soldiers passed through Jozu on their way to Birac and Solon. They were the mercenary troop that Odyne had dissolved as well as soldiers stationed at Apta. The next day, Nabarl, one of the twelve generals, and his Blue Dome Division travelled through Jozu.

Upon being asked, they said that – 

“The crown prince has returned.”

It was not a story that Walt, the battalion commander in charge of Jozu Fortress, could easily believe. It was simply suspicious. He also had a premonition that things would not end peacefully.

“Get a ship ready for me, would you?” When Nabarl had been stopping at Jozu Fortress, he had wanted the means to return quickly to Solon.

“It would be difficult for me to do so,” Walt had obstinately declined. It was not that he was looking down on the upstart general. If it had to be said, his own origins were those of a gladiator. It was simply that he was a man devoted to his duty. “This fortress’ role is to send soldiers to Apta or to Birac in case of need, or to take in fleeing troops. There is no knowing if we won’t need to transfer a large group all at once to one of the towns, and in any event, the ships are for use in emergencies.”

“You are defying an order from one of the twelve generals?”

“I am not your subordinate. If you want a ship, please go as far as Birac. You should be able to appeal for one directly from Lord Fedom.”

Nabarl’s face had flushed scarlet and he had headed to Birac, spewing invectives as he went.

“So is it true what they say about how he was beaten by Taúlia?” Asked one of Walt’s men as he watched from a fortress window while the column of Nabarl’s troops galloped away.

“Probably. But the part about Lord Gil Mephius having returned beggars belief.”

“Then there’s that rumour that Generals Saian and Lorgo are plotting treason. They might be sending us an advance unit from Birac, no?”

“Treason,” Walt stroked his plump face, “considering their personalities, I find that even harder to believe than the Prince’s return. On top of that, no matter how you look at it, the soldiers currently in Apta don’t even make up two thousand. What could they even do with those numbers… Be that as it may, all ships are to stand by on maximum alert. Don’t relax your vigilance when it comes to the area around Apta.”

“Aye.”

Walt was in his late thirties. Both his face and body were plump, so much so that when he wore full armour, he looked like a poorly-made doll for children, but although the soldiers might be expected to disdain him because of it, he was actually very popular.

He was also very skilled. Ten years earlier, he had won the Gladiatorial Championship in Solon. He had then been appointed as a regular soldier and had seen service in any number of battlefields during the war against Garbera. On one of those however, he had been shot in the face. Walt had fainted but, miraculously, the bullet had crossed through his right cheek and had exited out of his left. Afterwards, when he regained consciousness, he had to evade enemies lurking along the mountain and only received proper treatment ten days later, when he had made it back to Solon.

As a result, both his cheeks were now constantly swollen, giving him a decidedly humorous appearance. Although he could not go so far as to say that he had originally been handsome, he lamented over the fact that, as a warrior, he had previously had a reasonably impressive face; which might have been why he indulged in binge eating while under medical care, resulting in him ending up with a plump physique.

Whereupon, his popularity actually increased. Personality could be influenced by appearance, but in this case, it was perhaps that his had been concealed beneath a warrior’s harsh exterior. Strangely, people would gather around him, including nobles, whom he had not previously had much to do with and who now invited him and called out to him at balls, dinner parties, and the like. 

Even after he returned to the battlefield, Walt’s distinctiveness won him fame among friend and foe alike. He was idolized by the soldiers, loved by his commanders, achieved some military gains and, three months earlier, he had been entrusted with the newly-built Jozu Fortress.

Since the surrounding villages and marketplaces were under Apta’s jurisdiction, he had neither the authority nor the revenue of a feudal lord but he was still quite successful for someone who had risen from being a gladiator.

At the fortress also, he was very popular with the soldiers. His orders were promptly and thoroughly put into practice.

And then, about ten days after Nabarl had passed through Jozu, there was a report that a large force had been dispatched from Solon to Birac, and the level of tension increased all the more.

Around the same time, the net of airships spread out in the direction of Apta hurriedly returned. When he received their report, Walt’s narrow eyes went wide. Even the assembled soldiers were visibly shaken.

“W-What should we do, Commander?”

“We can neither ignore it nor turn him away,” Walt pondered for a while. “Then we may as well let him in. Whatever the cause, let’s be grateful for being blessed with the chance to see his face.”
 
Walt had never met the crown prince of Mephius in person. At most, he had only seen him from a distance in Solon.

If this was an imposter, there was a very close resemblance. Nor was it only his appearance: Walt felt that his boldness at having suddenly shown up at Jozu Fortress with only a few attendants and his subsequent dignified demeanour were not things that just anyone would be able to imitate overnight.

Gil Mephius.

Without any prior warning, he had suddenly knocked on the gates of Jozu Fortress.

“I am honoured to meet you. I cannot express my delight at being able to behold the crown prince’s noble visage even in such a remote and backwards place.”

“Yeah, but this place really has nothing going for it, huh?” His legs folded one over the other, Gil faced Walt with an impudent expression.

From the upper reaches of the fortress, they could look down on the surrounding forest. Once night fell, all four sides would be enveloped in darkness. Despite it being a newly constructed fort, merchants did not gather there nor did prostitutes flock towards it, so there was no entertainment whatsoever. It seemed that the soldiers stationed here must need considerable fortitude.

When Gil Mephius pointed this out, Walt answered him conscientiously – 

“I give the soldiers leave once every ten days in shifts. Most of them go to Birac and spend their time there as they please. Although, as Birac it is a trade city in which people from all over Mephius congregate, I occasionally dig into my own funds and invite a troupe of entertainers here.”

Even as he answered, he was harbouring doubts.

''For all that he says there’s nothing here, what kind of business brought him then?''

The Prince only had about fifteen attendants with him. Being that they were brawny, they were possibly his Imperial Guards, rumoured to have been promoted from being sword slaves, but given that they were lightly armed and so few in number, they could not possibly be planning to take over the fortress.

''Hmmm'' – while Walt maintained a calm expression, inside he was hopelessly torn. The man in front of him was perhaps going to cause Mephius to be split in two. If he captured him now, should he send him to Solon? No, first should be a messenger to Birac. From there, they could perhaps contact Solon and await orders from His Majesty?

Walt had not yet received official notification from Birac. The natural course would have been for Lord Fedom to have sent his instructions once the troops led by Folker Baran had arrived, yet no messenger had come.

While Walt was thus conflicted – 

“I wanted to see the new fortress with my own eyes. Also, I felt that I should personally see the soldiers. Since it’s close to Apta, there will often be all sorts of instructions to send. It will be an advantage in those cases if the soldiers know my face and if I know theirs.”

“Aye”

Gil Mephius glanced towards Walt, who was maintaining a respectful attitude. And then, as he swatted away an insect that had flown in front of him with one hand, “I’m thinking of staying here for a while,” he lightly said something utterly astounding.

Not even Walt could repress his emotions and he raised his head with a jerk.

“S-Stay?”

“Is that somehow inconvenient?”

“No… But…”

“To tell you the truth,” Gil cupped his hand around his mouth as though imparting a secret, “the Garberan princess went to the west and hindered Mephius’ invasion. You’ve heard of that, right?”

“There is something of a rumour, but…” Walt also lowered his voice and chose his words carefully.

“I have a slightly hard time handling ''that''. Nothing could be more embarrassing than handing my fiancée over to His Majesty like I’ve been told to, but at the same time, I don’t know what kind of punishment Father will hand down to me if I openly defy him.”

''What!?''

Walt was both disgusted and furious with the man before him. He was going to split the country for nothing more than saving his own face. At the same time though, it had become increasingly difficult to ascertain whether or not this was the crown prince since he had brought up the matter of the Garberan princess.

''I don’t know. If he’s an impostor, why are two of the twelve generals following him and even his fiancée the princess seems to be standing on his side. Or else, is it a plot against Mephius that the princess herself set up? No, there’s no way a fourteen or fifteen girl could.''

“Commander”

While he was becoming increasingly mired in confusion, one of his men called out to him. He stepped away from the prince for a moment and heard the report.

“What? From Lord Fedom?”

“Aye, it has just arrived from Birac. He has something to say about Apta.”

''It’s finally arrived'' – he felt that it was a bit slow but at least it had still arrived in time. Walt mulled over his thoughts for a moment.

“Right, I’ll go straight to Birac from here. Since we may need to send messengers at a moment’s notice, have the airships on standby along the highway.”

“Aye. …And, about His Highness?”

“It’s actually rather convenient that he came here. Since he said he wanted to stay, let’s grant him his wish. Don’t let him go back. You lot do everything you can to keep him here. Use every means possible to prevent him from changing his mind.”

If Fedom – or rather, His Majesty the emperor who would be contacted through Fedom – decided that the man here was an impostor, he would just need to arrest him and take him to Birac, and his duty would be complete. They would be able to prevent the country being torn apart in vain.

“But for all that you say to use every means possible, there’s nothing but forest here,” the soldier, whom Walt had known for a long time, looked baffled.

An amiable smile crossed Walt’s puffy face, “this is the most important task since I took up my post at Jozu Fortress. I’ll do it even if it kills me. If I have to, I’ll even offer a few of the women I fancy,” he joked.

In actual fact, Walt had never been known to bring anything like a mistress, but his subordinate soldiers grinned in response.
 


“Are you leaving? I figured as much when you got that report earlier, but you’re really busy, huh?” enquired Gil Mephius, looking completely unsuspecting, as soon as Walt announced that he had to start getting ready to go.

“I am truly very sorry. Although there is nothing here that can distract Your Imperial Highness from boredom, please take your time and relax as much as you like. My subordinates have their orders, so if there is anything that you wish for, please do not hesitate to tell them.”

“Oh? Well, I’ll do as I like then,” Gil said nonchalantly. “Anyway, what’s this business that’s got you in so much of a hurry?”

“Well, it is not me. Lord Aulin is ever abrupt. He sometimes likes to bring his family to go for a stroll in the forest, so maybe that is what it is this time too?”

“Humph. If it’s such an idyllic place, maybe I should go out for a walk too.”

“Ah, by all means.”

Walt hurriedly left Jozu Fortress.

Before long, a succession of carts arrived from Apta one by one. They were loaded with clothes, food and large quantities of wine – in short, they were Gil’s personal belongings sent for his stay at Jozu. Given that the Prince’s luggage had arrived right after he did, it appeared that he had, from the start, intended to ignore whatever wishes Walt or those at the fortress might have.

Since the carts kept arriving incessantly and insisting on checking each and every one of them might incur the Prince’s displeasure, Gil’s men were asked to stay by the gate and were left to identify the goods and people.

Moreover, opening and closing the gate each and every time was extremely laborious. So there was no help for it but to leave it open. Of course, the number of guards around the gate was reinforced but, as people and goods arrived one after another, they grew exasperated and just watched them pass through.