Editing Tytania:Volume 5 Chapter 8 (section)

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Balamy could not believe what he had done. His finger had pressed the trigger of the charged particle gun, firing directly at Ajman, the Clanner, a living Celestial being.

The flash of light that erupted did not strike Ajman’s body, but it struck the epaulette on the right shoulder of his cloak and sent it flying, causing the Clanner to twitch an eyebrow.

“Hoh, the son of my late brother?”

The Clanner shifted his gaze, still clutching his electromagnetic whip.

“You missed. Such things happen when one acts on impulse, driven by cheap emotions. Come to think of it, your father was much the same.”

“… What is that supposed to mean?”

“That is precisely why, despite him being the elder brother, he ended up submitting to me, the younger brother. And in the end, he met such a disgraceful death.”

Balamy’s entire being burnt with heat. His late father, Marquis Estrade, had met an accidental death on the stairs of their home, and much of the blame for that lay with Balamy. Though it felt like a distant, distant past, not even a year had passed. As acid was poured onto his wound, Balamy readjusted his grip on his gun.

“Stop, Balamy.”

The voice, thick with pain, came from Jouslain. Having lost his sight and with his face and throat stained crimson by blood, he had just managed to rise, grasping at the air with his left hand. He cautiously straightened his bent knees and stood with his feet slightly apart, straightening his spine. In his blindness, he finally managed to steady his posture.

“Duke Jouslain, are you unharmed!?”

Balamy’s voice trembled. As long as Clanner Ajman stood before him with a mask-like smirk, holding an electromagnetic whip, Balamy could not bring himself to look directly at Jouslain, who should have been at his side, nor could he run to support him.

Jouslain did not answer Balamy’s question. Instead, he spoke.

“Do not fall for his schemes. This man is a master at wounding his opponent’s heart. If you lose your composure, you will be playing right into his hands.”

“Oh, it seems that since losing your sight, you have grown a little more thoughtful, Duke Jouslain. Regrettably, you are talking in the wrong direction.”

Ignoring the Clanner’s provocation, Jouslain spoke to the younger young nobleman while enduring the intense pain in both his eyes.

“Balamy, you must leave this place.”

“Why!?” cried out Balamy once more who couldn’t help but scream. “Are you telling me that even at this late stage, you do not need my help? Am I really that unreliable!?”

“I need you to protect Princess Lydia.”

“…”

“There is no one else I can entrust this to. Can I not beg that much of you?”

“But your eyes can no longer see! If I am not by your side, how do you intend to defeat the Clanner!?”

Jouslain forced a smile.

“Do not worry. The Clanner will grant me my chance. If only to mock me and to deliver the finishing blow. That is the sort of man he is. A man not even worthy of either loyalty or rebellion.”

The laughter died away.

“Now, go! Return to the ''Austra'' at once.”

''“I refuse,”'' is what Balamy could have replied. There was no necessary reason for him to depart, leaving Jouslain behind alone. He could have simply remained aboard the ''Austra'' with Princess Lydia from the very beginning. However, Jouslain’s reprimand, which transcended mere logic, had strangely overwhelmed Balamy.

“Please, stay safe.”

Leaving behind words he could never have imagined uttering a year ago, Balamy rushed away. Ajman showed no interest in him at all, staring only at Jouslain. Jouslain felt with his entire being that he was standing upon the final stage.

“I thought you were a cruel man—until just a moment ago.”

“Do you have reason to revise your opinion?”

“I have finally understood. I truly loathe my own foolishness.”

“I have no intention of disputing your self-assessment.”

Without responding to the taunt, Jouslain continued:

“You are not even a cruel man. You were merely acting the part of one, using Ariabert, Zarlisch, and Idris.”

Even if the Clanner’s brow had twitched, it would likely not have been by even half a millimetre. Regardless, Jouslain could not have seen it.

“First, you continued to play the role of a profound and steadfast ruler. Once you grew tired of that, you began to act as a reformer seeking to bring change to the universe by rebelling against the history of Tytania. That acceleration went further than expected, and as a crisis loomed over Uraniborg, you killed Ariabert…”

For a brief moment, a piercing sense of regret infused Jouslain’s voice.

“You tore Idris’ arm from its socket, revealing a side of yourself as a cruel tyrant. But even that was an act.”

“Hmm, an intriguing opinion. However, if that is the case, I would very much like you to tell me. What, then, is the true identity of one who has played so many roles?”

“You have no true identity.”

It was an immediate answer, and an assertion.

“You are empty. Your intellect is brilliant, and your appearance is magnificent, but there is nothing inside. You have merely swapped masks and costumes to suit the situation.”

Ajman’s expression did not change. He was well aware that even if he did, Jouslain would not see it.

“You knew that you were nobody, that your interior was hollow. Neither Ariabert’s nobility, nor Zarlisch’s audacity, nor Idris’ ambition were within you.”

Ajman spoke in a sardonic voice.

“Did you exclude yourself?”

“I… I am much the same as you, so I simply chose not to say it aloud. I have merely behaved as though I were a high noble of Tytania, without ever being even aware of that fact.”

The Clanner tucked his whip under his arm and clapped his hands together five times, loudly.

“If you took sufficient time and organised the physical evidence, you might perhaps manage to write a paper worthy of passing. However, the question is whether you have that time. What do you intend to do from here?”

“Kill you.”

Ajman laughed aloud. It was a hollow mockery, as if to provide proof for Jouslain’s hypothesis.

“In your blinded state? A bold resolution, yet it would be shameful if it ended as nothing more than empty boasting.”

“You have become quite loquacious, Ajman. In this single day, I feel as though I have heard a year’s worth of your voice.”

“Hmm.”

“And every time you speak, it nauseates me.”

Ajman abruptly ceased the dialogue.

“Shall we bring this to an end now?”

He readjusted his grip on the whip in his right hand.

“Go ahead and shoot first, Duke Jouslain. If you hit, it shall be a cause for great celebration. If you miss, I shall grant you one final mercy. A death as painless as possible.”

Jouslain swallowed hard. Whether Ajman was a monster with many faces, a cruel murderer, or a despicable fraud, there was no doubt that he was a different breed of warrior than the late Zarlisch or Ariabert. In other words, he could defeat Jouslain in a fair fight. Jouslain had made his remark with that very fact in mind.

In Jouslain’s vision, which had been plunged into darkness, the angel of death had already begun its dance. Even if he tried to flee, there was no escape. If death was unavoidable, he would at least ensure he was not branded a coward.

Jouslain aimed his muzzle towards what he presumed to be the front.

''“Ariabert, Zarlisch, we shall meet again. Francia, please forgive me.”''

Five seconds later, a mocking voice echoed against the high ceiling.

“You missed, Duke Jouslain!”



In terms of sheer splendour, the palace of the Tytania Clanner estate could not rival the Imperial Palace of Vardana. Formally and superficially speaking. The residence of a subject could never surpass that of the sovereign.

Rather, it was said that the Clanners of Tytania had used the Vardana Imperial Palace as a cautionary tale, given that its immense scale and opulence had nearly brought the nation’s finances to the brink of ruin. Although the reasons were somewhat vague, there had never been an instance of a Clanner delighting in personal extravagance, so the policy had faced no heavy criticism.

Even so, to any ordinary person, the estate was undoubtedly a vast labyrinth. Francia found herself having to stop repeatedly to check her bearings.

“Lord Jouslain! Lord Jouslain!”

After calling out twice, Francia fell silent. The fact that Jouslain was deep within the Clanner estate must not be known by many.

Of course, Francia was unaware that Jouslain had lost his sight. Without her making a sound, he would have had no way of knowing she was approaching, even if he were in the very next room. It was a bitterly sharp irony.

Suddenly, Francia leapt aside. Dust motes danced wildly upon the floor where she had stood only a second before, and a circular area with a one-metre radius had changed colour.

“What a quick little brat.”

If voices could kill, the deadly venom contained within Theodora’s words would surely have struck Francia dead in a single blow.

Though Francia was nearly overwhelmed by Theodora’s manic obsession, she steeled her heart and began to run once more.