Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume7 Chapter4 (section)

=== Part 2 ===

“Let me help you,” Vileena said, full of enthusiasm. She was wearing high boots and looked like an energetic child whose eyes were sparkling at the thought of trying something new.

“You should stop,” Ran however, and in spite of this being their first meeting in a long time, was unfriendly from the start. “You’ll only get hurt. If you do things poorly, as soon as I take my eyes off you, you’ll only end in a dragon’s stomach, Vileena.”

Vileena was momentarily left speechless at her blunt words. The Princess’ personality, however, was not one to run away from threats. Nor did Hou Ran do anything else to stop her.
Work began.

First, Ran started by cleaning the dragon pens. Inside it were cages in which a fixed number of dragons were kept, separated by species. When Ran unhesitatingly entered the cages, she took in buckets of water that the slaves had drawn and poured them out while shovelling away the dragon dung and stale hay.

Although the dragons, guided by Ran, moved out of the way, they did not leave their cages. They lumbered around with their massive bodies and Vileena, who was learning by observation as she worked, inadvertently lost her sense of caution.

Since the pens were, of course, large enough to accommodate several dragons, it was labour-intensive work. In all honesty, even Vileena, who was fairly confident in her physical stamina, could tell that her mind and body would be worn down if she had to do the work while also remaining vigilant of the dragons. Additionally, the stench was ferocious. Even the dragon handlers who put the dragons through their military drills usually left this kind of work to slaves or subordinates.

Hou Ran moved around with light and practiced movements. She was taller than Vileena, but it was still a wonder how that slender body could hold so much strength.

Vileena was drenched in sweat in no time at all. The smell was getting worse and was making her feel like throwing up. But she grit her teeth and bore with it, wondering if she would eventually get used to it.

At that moment, she felt something behind her. She felt instinctively that it was not human. Suddenly, faster than the startled Vileena could turn around, something shoved her back hard and she fell, sprawling forward.

Ran had flown over before she fully realised what had happened. She stood in the way between Vileena’s back and the medium-sized dragon, a Baian, that was starting to bend over her. At first, the Baian looked like it was going to resist and bite, but Ran stared fixedly at it with eyes like glass beads, and it soon started to back away, giving off feeble cries as it did so.

The blood had drained from Vileena’s face as she looked back. Ran glanced at the Princess’ expression and said,

“This child really doesn’t like you. That’s because you were thinking of something else. Dragons can read the emotions of nearby humans. However, because they don’t understand human thoughts at all, when a human isn’t thinking about them, they end up wondering if it isn’t perhaps an enemy, and then they can’t help feeling frightened. On top of that, this child has been irritated for a long time and its mood is worse than ever. Even I might be bitten if I’m not careful. Now then, you should leave the rest to me and go back. You should be somewhere more appropriate for you, Vileena.”

Vileena remained silent. With hay stuck to her knees, she firmly sat down and did not move. Ran went back to her work. After a while,

“Is there something you want to talk to me about?”

“Can you read my emotions?”

“Even without being a dragon, that much isn’t hard.”

Following Ran’s movements with listless eyes, Vileena gave a single nod.

After having stood up and left the cage, Vileena kept Ran, who continued to work on the other side of the iron bars, at the edge of her vision and started to talk haltingly about her feelings.

Ran did not interrupt. She continued working without so much as glancing at the Princess, to the point where it was doubtful whether she was even listening, but Vileena continued talking.

“I –”

After returning to Solon, she had spent her time in inactivity. She did not have the energy to do anything and even though she had been aware that the people around her, starting with Theresia, had been worried about her, even that felt unpleasant and she had retreated into her shell. However, when envoys came from Garbera, the moment she heard them urge her to return home, the thought flared up in her heart that ''I can’t go back like this''.

At that time, the doubts which had long been swirling around inside her took on a tangible form and rose to the surface of her mind.

“You know it too, Ran... that Prince Gil clashed with General Oubary’s Black Armour Division in a village near Apta.”
[[Image:Rakuin no Monshou v07 147.jpg|thumb]]

According to what the Prince had explained at the time, in the past, General Oubary had laid waste to several villages in Apta’s surroundings. He had snatched their crops, money and goods, and assaulted the women; in order to seal their mouths, he had slaughtered any villager, whether they submitted or tried to resist, before finally setting fire to the villages.

Gil, having become the lord of Apta Castle, had discovered this past, however while he was collecting information from the various villages, Oubary had deployed his troops to silence him. Gil had been quick to sense this and had laid a trap for him in one of the villages.

Vileena and Ran, who had gone searching for Gil, had been at the actual scene.

“I heard that the ones who shot Prince Gil afterwards were soldiers of the Black Armour Division. Out of revenge against him. But…”

Oubary, who was considered to have commanded the shooting, had fought with the Imperial Guards near the border. Although he had been injured, he had fled back to Solon where he had been captured.

“When the Prince ambushed the Black Armour Division, the General was with them. I saw him there with my own eyes. The Prince should have dealt with him one way or the other at the time, wouldn’t he? When he left the village, the Prince was neither irritated nor impatient. So I cannot imagine that he had let the General escape. And he would never have simply sent away a person who had turned their sword against him. Whether the General was captured alive or killed in the struggle, it contradicts both the later shooting incident and his arrest.”

Colour was returning to Vileena’s pale skin.

“From the various rumours that I’ve heard in Solon and in Nedain, it seems that somehow or another, the Prince’s fight with the Black Armour Division has been concealed. No, I do not even know whether it was concealed or whether it was never reported, but because of that, I cannot help but find things unconvincing. There might be something behind that contradiction. Since it’s the Prince, after all. Even though there isn’t the slightest doubt about the truth of his ‘death’, what if it wasn’t a truth but some kind of stratagem? …Of course, it may just be what I foolishly wish to believe. However, since there is some room for doubt, I cannot simply accept his death. If all my doubts can be dispelled, and if Prince Gil’s ‘death’ cannot be discredited, then I will accept it.”

“…”

She suddenly became aware that Ran had stopped moving. She was staring at the Princess with an unusually dazed expression.

“W-What is it?” Vileena wondered if she had said something so very strange while she was confiding her thoughts.

“Amazing.”

“Eh?”

“You’ve thought it out that far even though there was nothing to offer you an answer.”

Under Ran’s fixed gaze, Vileena felt embarrassed to talk. Both of them felt equal admiration for the other Ran gently stroked the horn of a Yunion dragon that happened to walk by her.

“So, did you come here to check up on that?”

“Yes,” Vileena nodded,” I would have liked to meet with General Oubary in person; however, as was to be expected, I was unable to do so. I thought that perhaps you or Gowen might know something about it so I came here, but…”

“But?”

“If I plough through things, I will just stir up trouble. In the same way that I’ve caused for you, Ran, by trying to butter you up. So at the moment, rather than asking other people, what I really want is to go to Apta.”

''I see'', she thought after saying it herself. Talking to another person had allowed her to realise what she truly wanted for the first time.

“To Apta?”

“At the time, I was honestly anything but calm. So I want to have a second look at it. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a clue.”

“…”

She wanted to go to Apta.

Although it was a desire that had suddenly surged up, she wondered if she had not actually wanted to do so ever since she had been in Solon.

Maybe now, I will find some trace of the Prince. I might be able to notice it if he left something behind.

Viewed differently, if there was something important, she might perhaps never have noticed it if she had never left Apta. The more she thought about it, the more eager she was to go. She wanted to leave Nedain right this second, before the traces of the Prince faded with the passage of time and disappeared.

However, this one-week stay in Nedain had been given to her to grant her last-minute whim. Once it was over, envoys from Garbera would immediately come to see her, she would also be pressured by those from Mephius, and she would be forced to return to her country whether she liked it or not.

Biting her lower lip and frantically trying to hold back the impatience and wishes that were welling up inside her, Vileena asked,

“How about you?” Her question was much softer than might have been expected from her words up until then. “Do you think that the Prince really died?”

“I…” Ran’s mouth remained open for several seconds. “I did not see his corpse with my own eyes.”
 


Noon.

A section of the landing area for air carriers was lined with warehouses. A slave woman named Krau had stretched her large body out on one of their roofs and was having a nap.

She had served the wealthy Birac merchant, Zaj Haman, piloting air carriers for him, but, on her master’s orders, she had gone to work for Prince Gil. Now, after the Prince’s death, she had received a recommendation from Gowen and was employed by General Rogue Saian along with the Prince’s Imperial Guards. Since Rogue’s Dawnlight Wings Division was mainly an air force, it was the ideal position for Krau. However, all she was given to do were chores like servicing the ships, or cleaning them or the warehouses. Unlike when she was working for merchants or the Imperial Guards, here, they would not leave the handling of a ship to a woman, and to one who was a slave at that.

Being driven into these various tasks made Krau’s head spin. Even for her, continuing with that same work for a year or even half a year, the excess fat would surely fall entirely away, but she was an obstinate woman who was very good at gambling, and who called in the debts of the labourers and slaves that she played against by having them do her work in her place, opening up free time for her to be idle.

Basking in the warm sunlight with her large arms for pillows, she wore a truly contented expression.

“So she’s here after all,” having climbed up to the roof, Ran laughed unintentionally at the sight of Krau. She turned back to look at Vileena, who was climbing up behind her, and put a finger to her lips, telling her to ''shh''.

Softly and quietly, Ran crept up to Krau then let out the most incredible cry. It was a sound like the roar of a dragon and it made the surrounding air vibrate.

“Hyeee!” Krau sprang up and nearly fell from the roof. “T-That’s terrible! I thought I was going to jump out of my skin!”

“Then that would be perfect. Aren’t you the one who’s always saying 'I want to lose weight, I want to lose weight'?”

“Who wants to lose weight by dying? Honestly, you and…. Oh?” Krau noticed that there was a girl behind Ran. “Well that’s rare. Who’re you with? A new friend?”

“It’s been awhile, Krau,” Vileena bit back her laughter and curtsied, and for a second, Krau drew her thick eyebrows together, then suddenly and with astonishing speed, she prostrated herself.

“I-I even showed such an unsightly scene to the Princess!”

“It doesn’t matter. Please raise your head.” This time, Vileena smiled then lowered herself onto one knee so that her gaze was level with Krau’s, “the truth is Krau, I have a favour to beg of you.”
Krau did not say anything, but her expression turned stiff as she got a truly awful feeling about it.


 
Vileena was planning to stay a week in Nedain. During that time, she went to see Rogue Saian to express her gratitude for his help towards Garbera.

“I…” Rogue was a little embarrassed. He had originally intended to go with the Prince to Zaim Fortress, but he had been stopped from doing so by that same Prince. “He said that he alone should receive His Majesty’s reprimands. Such kind words… To think that something like that could happen... I never would have imagined it…”

Rogue was moved to tears as he spoke. To help cheer up the Princess who had just lost her fiancé, Rogue had prepared airships for her to use as she pleased during her stay in Nedain, but he was the one who ended up being consoled by her instead.

“There was no connection between the events in Apta and the sending of reinforcements to Garbera. General, there is nothing for you to feel bad about.”
And so, five days passed since the Princess had arrived in Nedain.

The local lord, Jairus Abigoal had invited her for a meal.

Jairus had returned to Nedain immediately after having taken part in the commemorative ceremony for the erection of the temple in Solon. He had, of course, been informed of Vileena’s arrival, but as his honest thoughts on the matter were that she was an annoying guest, he had claimed to be busy and had not yet seen her.

He took pride in being in a position which was somewhat closer to the Emperor in comparison to the other retainers. And he guessed that the Emperor had no intention of prolonging the alliance with Garbera.

''At this point, why should I have to keep company with this Garberan princess while she decides to go sightseeing?''

And thus, the Princess was nothing but an annoying guest. Still, he obviously could not ignore her to the point of not seeing her even once, and so he had arranged to have her for dinner one time only. Even so, Jairus would not openly display that attitude in front of the Princess. He would do his utmost to create a welcoming atmosphere.

Meanwhile.

“Princess, this is repetitive of me, but...” Theresia confronted the Princess right before heading for the meal, “you won’t forget your promise to me, will you?”

“Theresia, really,” Vileena smiled, looking as though she wanted to add, ''definitely repetitive''.

The ‘promise’ concerned Raymond’s affair. The young aristocrat who, had directly appealed to the Emperor about the current conditions in Nedain, had thus incurred Jairus’ displeasure, and had been thrown into a dungeon. Perhaps it was so that he could serve as an example, but he had still yet to be released. Theresia firmly reminded her that she was not to hound Jairus about the matter or to criticise him for it.

“Would a princess from the honourable and knightly Garbera break her word? Well then, let’s go. Is there anything wrong with my hair and clothes?”

The young girl gave a quick twirl. Theresia looked deeply suspicious, but she did not believe that after having brought up the name of her home country, the patriotic Princess would sully its pride by lying.

“It is fine,” Theresia nodded decisively. “It is not too showy, nor is it either fawning over Mephius or too steeped in the style of Garbera. I, Theresia, have impeccable taste.”

Before long, Jairus and Vileena, both harbouring their own thoughts, sat down as scheduled at either end of the long table. Both of them minded their positions and their manners well enough, so there was no particular problem, although neither did they spend an especially enjoyable time together.

When the dessert had been brought out and placed before them,

“By the way, Lord Abigoal,” Vileena tilted her head slightly to one side, “when do you intend to settle that matter with Lord Raymond?”

She brought up the name perfectly offhandedly. Jairus nearly spat out the fruit that he had just put into his mouth.

“W-When? What is it that you mean by that?” Jairus drank a mouthful of wine and tried to look composed.

“Oh my, feigning ignorance?” Vileena giggled girlishly.

Unable to see through her real intentions, Jairus started to change the subject.

“T-This is such a provincial town that I am sure you must be bored, Princess. If you go north a little, there are some places with some very nice views. If you would like, my son could accompany you on a ride there tomorrow and…”

“Lord Raymond is popular among the villagers, is he not?” Vileena ignored him and nodded as though in understanding of something. “Certainly, he can only be blamed for interfering as he did. You dealt with him with admirable firmness, Lord Abigoal. Still, once you forgive him in the near future, the people will see and be touched by your generosity; Lord Raymond will also reflect on his faults from the bottom of his heart."

“…”

“Additionally, your ability to curb a slave rebellion before it happens will be extolled by all; Lord Abigoal and the people will have yet another reason to praise you.”

Vileena smiled and turned her sparkling gaze towards the lord of the manor. Jairus gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Saying that he had curbed a slave rebellion sounded good, but in reality, Jairus had set fire to a village for sheltering a single slave.

“I believe His Majesty was saying something similar just before I left for Nedain.”

“H-His Majesty?” Jairus Abigoal squeaked. As though to help calm himself, he smoothed down his moustache which had been oiled into tapering points. “What was it that His Majesty said?”

“I did not hear it directly either. But I can imagine the gist of it. That if Lord Raymond were to be executed, it would fan the people’s anxiety and fear, and might cause a repeat of the tragedy of Kilro. It was probably something like that,” Vileena said vaguely, smiling all the more. After which, she continued to heap praise on Jairus for his ability.

Two days later, the lord of Nedain officially announced that he was granting a pardon to Raymond for his crimes.

When Theresia, who knew the circumstances, heard about it, she looked up at the ceiling and uttered a shriek.
 


Vileena was nearing the end of her intended stay in Nedain, however the day before she was scheduled to return, the Princess discovered a problem with the ship that was supposed to take her back to Solon.
“That ship would not even make it to the relay station,” she announced to the assembled maintenance crew.

That being the case, it was suggested that another ship be prepared, but for some reason, Vileena was unusually stubborn about it. She claimed that she particularly liked the white exterior of the ship she had been scheduled to use and insisted on returning in that ship.

In the end, it was determined that they would work night and day if necessary to repair the ship. When Krau and others went to inspect the ship, she exclaimed in exaggerated surprise,

“The ether injection nozzles are broken. The propulsion propellers are also in a bad state. I’d better take my time to check over things.”

Naturally, this rotund woman had in her clutches all of the personal assets that had once belonged to the men in charge of maintaining and repairing the ships, but none of those around her were aware of that.