Editing Rakuin no Monshou:The Little Fugitive (section)

=== Part 2 ===

Five days later, there had been no progress.

Preparations for Apta were advancing smoothly. What there had been no progress in was the search for the cat.

During that time, Flora had been wondering helplessly whether Nelwin was eating, whether he had a proper roof to sleep under, whether he was being tormented by anyone, and she persistently talked about it to the ladies’ maids, so that apparently they were secretly at their wits’ end.

On the day for the reports.

Orba left the palace. But not as Gil Mephius. He was dressed like a swordsman and wore an iron mask shaped like a tiger – in other words, he went as Gil’s subordinate, ‘the Imperial Guard Orba’. He used both personas depending on the situation. Because as the Crown Prince, he could not come and go from the palace as he pleased.

So that they would not be suspected of being the same person, he had removed the bandages from his right arm. Of course, it still hurt. With each step, pain from the gunshot wound rang through his brain but he walked to a medium-sized tavern in a corner of Solon while trying not to let it show.

On the second floor <ref> Which is the first floor if you count the European way.</ref>, in a room that was sectioned off by a wall, practically the same people as had been summoned to the castle five days earlier were lined up.

If he invited them to the palace too often, those around him would become suspicious. Just because they came from the same country did not necessarily mean that they were Orba’s allies. On the contrary, if the suspicions of those around him deepened, the secret of Orba’s identity might be revealed.

And so, Orba himself sometimes went to town in this way to meet with them.

Today as well he had gone to see and hear the reports made by his subordinates. On the whole, the former gladiators understood what Orba was after but there were still some among them who were not on point.

''How many more times do I have to say it!'' – There had been times when he had burst out angrily in spite of himself but right now, Orba was not the crown prince. Since he was only a messenger, he simply said,

“I’ll pass it on to the prince.”

He cleared his throat once by way of punctuation.

“And also… The prince seems to be concerned about it. About that Schypa cat,” he asked but the results weren’t very good after all.

Although he had thought about widening the search range, since there had not even been a rumour of anyone having seen it, it was unfortunate for Flora but it was safe to assume that the worst had happened.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise from near the entrance of the shop.

Followed by a voice that sounded like a scream.

Surprised, Orba grabbed his sword from behind his chair, ran to the gap in the wall and peered hard down the stairs.

A man dressed in rags was panting. He had a burly build and gave the impression that he was engaged in a pretty rough line of work but that he probably didn’t get enough to eat as he was painfully thin. Through the tears all over his clothes his naked back could fleetingly be seen.

''A brand…''

It was the same sign that was etched into Orba’s back. A long vertical line running through the centre of an ‘X’ mark. In Mephius, it stood for only one thing – it was the mark from a hot iron indicating the status of a slave.

It didn’t look like the man had run to the tavern as a set destination but that he had somehow ended up taking refuge there. His expression fierce, he thrust aside the customers and employees near the entrance and forcefully tried to make his way to the back of the store but,

“Stop!”

A large number of guards appeared next and easily captured him.

It was not a particularly rare scene in Mephius. A slave unable to endure the harsh work and environment attempting to flee. The commotion as soldiers ran in pursuit.

Orba turned his gaze away from the ground floor. For he who bore the same brand, it unexpectedly took him a lot of effort to do so.  

Then, just before the man who had until then been struggling and shouting to “Let go!” was finally about to be dragged out from the store,

“Somebody, help me,” he cried. “I’m not a slave. I was set up. Oddwill tricked me!”

Then like that, he passed out of sight and his voice could no longer be heard.

Afterwards, as though no such occurrence had happened, the shop returned to its usual appearance and liveliness.  Voices flew about from all over ordering alcohol and food.

Orba also chased from his mind the image of the slave he had seen just a moment ago. Even if he had once been in the same position, he was currently in a situation where it could be possible for him to save one or two slaves but if he did that for every slave he encountered, it was obvious that he would simply be walking the path to his own destruction.

Before long, Orba handed his men generous amounts of drinking money ‘from the prince’ that was separate from their wages and left the tavern by himself.

''Now then…''

It had been a long time since he had been out of the palace. Although he was tempted to wander around for a bit, in a way, a man wearing a mask was more eye-catching than the crown prince.

Even in an alleyway with few passers-by, he could feel a gaze coming from the first floor, perhaps in part because the masked swordsman Orba had won the gladiatorial games at the recent Founding Festival.

Thinking that he should quietly head back, he had just turned that way when,

"Ah!" He cried out unintentionally.

Two round lights were gleaming from the top of a pile of rubbish heaped in the alleyway.

Orba was just about to advance towards it without thinking. The lights seemed to fly up to the sky – in an instant, the creature that looked white even in the dark leaped a few times along the ground towards where there was a gap between the walls and the entrance to a small alley yawned open before vanishing into it.

"Wait" Once again crying out unintentionally, Orba began to run.

Something red was wrapped around the tip of its tail. Although it had lost its original form, it was probably what remained of a ribbon. Given the white fur, it was unmistakably the much-searched for Nelwin.

However, the more he gave chase, the faster Nelwin went. Orba's method of doing things was to work out a strategy to corner the enemy but right now, there was no time for that. Since it would be lost from sight if he didn't keep it in a corner of his eye, all he could do was sprint with all his might.

After going down two then three alleys, he arrived at a wall that was more than twice as tall as a human. Someone's mansion no doubt. At the same moment as Orba, seeing it driven to the wall, grinned broadly beneath his mask, Nelwin came to a hole formed by a gap between the wall and the ground and smoothly slipped inside.

''Not again''.

It seemed that the animals known as cats were creatures that roamed the area around them, investigating it and turning it into their own playground. In a sense, it was similar to how Orba did things. But in the circumstances, he did not feel like admiring it.

Without hesitation, Orba bounded towards a nearby tree, hauled himself up it by the strength of his arms and legs then jumped in the direction of the wall. His fingers unerringly grasped the edge. He then kicked the surface of the wall and leapt to the inner side.

Inside was a thicket of bushes and, further in, a flower garden stretched out. Orba, who had landed on the thick branch of a tree, looked at the two round eyes right beneath him. They were looking up at him. But immediately upon meeting Orba's eyes, Nelwin started running again. For some reason, it looked like it was making fun of him.

"Son of a bitch." There would be no more mercy. Orba rushed forward anew.

Pushing his way through the flowers' stalks and leaves and occasionally getting scratched by thorns, he went further and further inward. Even when it scrambled up a wall again and went along the roofs of buildings, Orba kept on running after it.

When even he was about to run out of breath, the surroundings changed. The orderly rows of houses had faded into the distance and the roads were no longer paved. The lights had also petered out and the surroundings were plunged in darkness. A stench assailed his nose. It was smell that blended alcohol, sewage and human excretions like sweat and urine.

The slums.

Every town had them. Those who could not pay the neighbourhood and town taxes gathered there, or perhaps rather, they lived there in isolation.
Despite his current position as Crown Prince, it was a nostalgic place for Orba. It hadn't been in Solon but before he had become a sword slave, he had lived in an area like this.

"Hup"

As he kicked off the end of a roof and jumped down onto the wall that surrounded a different building, Orba was definitely narrowing the distance with Nelwin. That was because, while he unfalteringly chased after it, the cat had slowed down.

''Good''.

Orba had already stopped running and was stalking forward while stooping down so as to catch the cat that was gracefully sashaying its backside from left to right. The wall was at the height of the building's first floor. Nelwin jumped through a nearby window with a practised movement.

Now was a good chance.

It was dark inside. Without wasting any time, Orba noiselessly jumped into the room.

If there was someone there, they had fallen asleep. Just when he had come to that conclusion and was about to stretch out his hands towards the cat,

“Who is it?”

A sharp voice spoke and at the same time, a girl stared at him from the bed.

''Shit''.

“You are…”

Maybe it was because she had just woken up, the girl was open-mouthed as she gazed fixedly at Orba.

She was looking at his mask.

It would have been better if it had been at his actual face, even though it was identical to the prince’s. Since there were many among the people who did not know the Crown Prince’s face, whereas this mask was far too distinctive. You could tell at a glance that he was ‘the prince’s subordinate’ Orba.

He went rigid for a moment and right then, he heard footsteps pounding violently up the stairs.




“Alicia!”

The door was flung open and a woman came bursting in.

Although she must have been beautiful when she was young – which would have been only a few years ago – her face was gaunt and her clothes were slightly stained. Of course, given that she was living in such a place, her life could not be easy.

On the bed, the girl she had called Alicia looked blank.

“What’s wrong, Mama?”

“Just now, weren’t you talking to someone!”

Her breathing ragged, her mother carefully swept her eyes around all four corners then cautiously stepped forward. She lit the lamp that was by the bed.

“You mean with Yamā?”

When her mother looked in the direction that Alicia indicated with a sweeping wave of her neck, she saw the cat by the window. It lifted its rump and stretched contentedly. Her mother breathed a sigh of relief.

“You mustn’t open your window. You don’t know who might see you.”

She nervously closed the fastening and shut the curtains. Alicia pulled her blanket up to hide her face and nodded.

“Ye~es”

Her mother smiled weakly at her joking gesture and gently stroked Alicia’s honey-coloured hair.

“Now, go to sleep you. Mother was busy today so I couldn’t read you a book but I will tomorrow.”

“Hn”

Her mother caressed Alicia’s hair one more time then put out the bedside lamp and left the room.

Along with the darkness, silence fell inside the room. Once or twice, a drunkard could be heard shouting in the distance. Then,

“It’s all right now.”

When Alicia said that, there was a rustling sound in the dark room that came from the area under the bed. The one who came crawling out from under there was Orba, still wearing his mask.

Where was the figure who acted like the Crown Prince during the day, it was now as wretched as that of a married woman’s lover who had crept into her bedroom at night. When he had been found out by the girl, Orba’s blood had run cold but she had stared at him for a moment with wide-open eyes but, when footsteps came from staircase and whilst still turned towards him, she had hurriedly said, “Hide. There’s a gap under the bed. There.”

Alicia giggled.

“Hey, it’s good that you weren’t found out. Mama doesn’t look it but she’s scary when she’s angry. Recently, a drunk got into the house and she chased him out with a broom.”

She must have been more or less ten years old. There was no shyness in her bright smile.

“Why did you help me? Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Because, maybe it’s the latest fashion?”

“Fashion?"

“Smelling like the gutter and sneaking into my room. Yamā also came in through my window about a week ago.”

The one Alicia called ‘Yamā’ was, of course, ‘Nelwin’ who was now leisurely grooming itself by the window.

“I thought cats were timid animals but they’re bold. From the very start, he’s been behaving as if it was his own home.”

Every day this little intruder would call there at almost the exact same time and would relax idly for a while in the same room as Alicia then, as if on another whim, would disappear.

“And then, it reminds me of an old legend.”

“A legend?”

“A story about a young man who gets lost in a forest and finds a golden bird and then while chasing it discovers a princess who has been locked in a tower by an evil magician. I love that story so I was thinking won’t a cool man visit my room too someday. But the one who came wasn’t a prince but scary scary man who smells like the gutter.”

Alicia giggled again. Although she was looking in Orba’s direction, her eyes were unfocused. At first, he had thought that it was because she had just woken up but hearing her emphasize ‘smell’, he realised the reason.

The girl was probably blind. Because of that, she was not suspicious about his mask.

“Is that ‘Princess Katjua’?”

At Orba’s words, Alicia opened her sightless eyes wide.

“It’s a really old, oooold legend from Garbera. You know it?”

“I read it in a book once. But it’s weird to love something like that. Doesn’t it end tragically? The young man defeated the magician but because he was hit by the magician’s final spell, he transformed into a golden bird. The story goes that the princess wandered eternally looking for the bird that had flown from the tower.”

“Is it such a sad story?” Looking as though her pleasure had been dampened, the girl wrinkled her nose. “After receiving advice from the golden bird, the young man and the princess defeat the magician and live happily ever after in the tower. Isn’t your memory wrong?”

“My memory is accurate. It’s you who’ll have misunderstood.”

It was a fact that Orba hated admitting defeat. He had gotten unintentionally wound-up.

“Right. Maybe the book I read was different from the one you did. Legends get written by a lot of different people and depending on their mood, they can change into comedies or tragedies,” Alicia said and sighed almost half-pityingly.

He was in situation where a younger girl was offering him a compromise. Blushing beneath his mask, Orba changed the subject.

“Do you read that many books?”

“I love books. I learned about cats from a picture book that my mum gave me before.” After proudly saying that, she seemed to notice the question Orba had and the meaning of her smile shifted a little. “I could see before. Back then, I read a lot of books, so many that I can’t even count.”

“Back then means…?”

“Hmm, how long ago was back then? Not being able to see anything, I’ve almost forgotten my sense of time. Mama said that I caught a nasty infectious disease in an epidemic. That’s also why we moved house… I’ll only have to be patient for a short while so it’s fine but Mama says that I can’t meet anyone until then.”

''An epidemic?'' Orba was inwardly doubtful. He hadn’t heard of that kind of disease being rampant in Solon.

“Mama says that if I stay quiet then I’ll definitely get better soon, but it’s been a really long time that I haven’t met my friends. I wonder if everyone is doing well. I want to introduce Yamā to Roché and Eris. Ah, and of course, you too since you’re Yamā’s friend.”

It was no doubt true that she hadn’t met anybody for a long time. It was probably because she had found a human to talk to for the first time in a long time that Alicia was chattering non-stop on what was their first time meeting – and to a man whose identity she didn’t know.

“Big Brother, what did you say your name was?”

“A thief doesn’t give their own name.”

“Oh? A thief who specializes in cats? That sounds like it would also make an interesting story… Okay, since you don’t want to tell, I’ll give you a name that I can call you by. How about Bartz Endora?”

“The one who served Allion’s Founding King and who was originally a bandit leader.”

“You really know a lot. Not happy with it?”

“Bartz was stabbed in the back by his comrades and died. Anyway, Orba is fine. It’s the name of the former gladiator who won the championship at the last Founding Festival.”

“Orba? Is that the winner’s name?”

“He’s a cool swordsman who wears a mask.”

They talked idly. Not having to worry about his identity being known made Orba more talkative but it wasn’t only because of the pleasure of exchanging words. The girl felt strangely out of place.

''She's too well educated.''.

Obviously, most of the people who lived in a place like this had a hard time making it from day to day. He didn’t think they had the money to spare to buy books. Moreover, her mother wore drab and dirty clothes whereas Alicia’s were clean and beautiful and were made of fine cotton with embroidery.

They must have lived a wealthy life before. Had the family fallen for some reason or had they run away? Orba reasoned that the mother might have bundled up and brought as many clothes as she could.

And above all else, there were Alicia’s circumstances. Her mother would not let her daughter meet with anyone and was keeping her isolated exactly as though she really was suffering from an illness. Perhaps it was related to the cause behind the loss of Alicia’s eyesight.

“Even your favourite book would get boring if you read it every day.”

“Absolutely!” Alicia nodded vigorously over and over again. “That’s why I always end up completely wrapped up in my imagination. I remember the stories I read in the old days and put myself in the main character’s place. If it was me, I’d do this, or if it was me, rather than the prince, I’d choose the knight as my lover and I create a story just for me.”

“That’s it!”

“That’s what?”

“I bet it’s because you go around changing stories this way and that, you mix up the real story and your imagined story and so you remember wrong.”

“Orba, you’re pretty persistent, huh…”

At some point, perhaps because it had gotten tired of grooming itself by the window, Yamā had climbed onto Alicia’s lap and was relaxing there snugly. Unlike Orba, it was not confused by its change of environment and he could almost envy how impudent it was.

“Is your mother always strict?”

“Usually. But after we came here she might have gotten scarier than before.”

“And your father?”

“My father –”

While he waited for Alicia’s answer, Orba surveyed the inside of the room. There was nothing except a single plain bed. There was neither table nor wardrobe. There were cracks in the wall and stains spread out across it here and there.

He heard Yamā cry out. When Orba glanced at him, his body was shaking. No, it wasn’t the cat that was shaking, it was the girl’s hand placed on his head that was trembling violently.

“What’s wrong, Alicia. Oi.”

Even though Orba called out, she didn’t answer. Far more than earlier, her gaze was aimlessly wandering in mid-air.

“F-Father is…” Alicia’s voice broke up midway as though she was choking on something. “Father is…”

Was she having an attack of her illness? Trembling continuously, Alicia blankly repeated herself while a single tear spilled from her wide-open eyes.

“Alicia, what’s wrong? You okay?”

As though to stop her trembling, Orba touched the girl’s shoulders.

''Should I call her mother?''

Just as he was wondering that, he heard a gentle cry that seemed to brush against his ears. The cat, Yamā or Nelwin or whatever, suddenly broke free of Alicia’s hands and, after rubbing itself against her feet for a while like a baby, it gave another nonchalant jump and left through the window.

“Ah!” Orba was about to involuntarily call out and stretch his hand.

“It’s all right even if you don’t hurry.”

When he turned to look back at Alicia who had suddenly mumbled that, the girl had regained her composure.

“He’ll come again tomorrow anyway. Orba, you came here to catch Yamā, right?”

“I received a request from the owner,” Orba answered, peering somewhat carefully at Alicia’s face. “But, well, I’m in no hurry either. If it takes more time, I’ll get more money for expenses.”

“Weren’t you a thief?”

“I changed jobs.”

Orba could tell from the girl’s expression that she wasn’t simply putting on a brave front. The fit she had just then when she had been about to talk about her father seemed to have completely fallen from her.

''Anyhow,''

She might well be ill but Orba’s inference was that it was somewhat different from the “infectious disease” her mother spoke about. He got up cautiously, the longsword at his waist making no sound.

“I’ll come back when the owner starts getting impatient.”

“Right – I open the window at about the same time as today for Yamā. You can come in again smelling like the gutter,” Alicia said. She smiled but somewhat feebly.

“Yeah. See ya.”

Leaving behind more regrets in that room than he himself would have expected, Orba crossed over the window frame and let himself down onto the top of the wall.

''Oh?''

On the other side of the wall were two round eyes. It was exactly as though it had been waiting for him but abruptly and with no waste of time, it turned its head away and, once more elegantly sashaying its behind, the schypa cat walked off.




Having returned to the palace, Orba advanced with the preparations for the departure to Apta throughout the next day but in the evening, he once more summoned his subordinates who were positioned all over Solon. To do so two days in a row was unusual and the men’s expressions were even more nervous than before.

“You can forget about the cat.”

After having displayed the kind of whim that was characteristic of those with power, the prince gave an order that was no less peculiar than searching for a cat.

“Alicia. I want you to collect information and rumours that have surfaced around this name. But do it casually and carefully. Don’t turn into a topic of gossip yourselves when you’re investigating about Alicia. In other words, do your best not to attract attention. If you don’t find information in one place, look somewhere else but don’t follow it too far. Got it?”

Less than three days later, he had the results.

Within Solon, there were at least ten or more girls with that name and of about the same age, but only one of them had gone missing.

In addition, there was a very interesting piece of information attached.

Her father was a man named Oddwill whose job had involved despatching labourers to the mines in the outskirts of the capital.

“Oddwill” was the name spoken by the slave who had fled to the tavern the other day and furthermore, speaking of the mines outside Solon, men who worked there were no longer turning up to their usual tavern.

Two more circumstances soon came to light.

Two months earlier, the Guards had arrested nearly five hundred of the labourers. Because it was discovered that they were guilty of illegally selling resources to a foreign country, almost all of them had been reduced to slavery. The one giving orders for the crime had been none other than Oddwill. He had been taken for re-questioning but had attempted to escape on the way and had been killed by soldiers.

Oddwill’s wife and only daughter had gone missing immediately afterwards.

If all of this was tied together, he could understand that Alicia had not been about to talk about her father. But at the same time, Orba felt that it didn’t sit well with him.

“Who was the one who accused the labourers?”

“A man named Jurgen Ozt. Since he is the noble who manages the mines on the outskirts of Solon, Oddwill was a subordinate who served under him.”

“Jurgen.”

It had only been a few months since Orba had become the prince’s body-double. He did not remember the face of every aristocrat.

“Your Highness,” watching this exchange from the back, Shique looked as though he couldn’t bear it any longer and whispered from behind. “Your Highness, you are very busy. The preparations are being hurried. Wouldn’t it be fine to leave these other matters to them?”

However Orba, his arms folded, didn’t move. Shique knew all too well that this was proof that he was plunged into thought and that when he was like that, he was inflexible.