Editing Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume1 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 2===


Leo Attiel still did not have the courage to meet his mother’s eyes.

Percy could not read his feelings to that extent, and thought that he must have lost interest in his stories. Just then, he caught sight of Lord Gloucester – his fiancée Liana’s father – in the crowd.

“I have to go and greet some people,” he excused himself and took leave of the prince.

Leo, left behind, once more loitered in silence. 

Had it really been six and a half years since then? ''I still haven’t even seen my mother’s face clearly'', Leo felt horribly discouraged about himself. 

On top of that, he felt he even harder to understand his own feelings. Did he hate and resent her? Or did he desperately miss her? No matter how far away he had tried to keep it from the surface of his mind, the shadow of Leo’s mother had always been at his side. Yet he felt that if she only turned to him with a smile, and said, “Leo, it’s been hard on you,” that shadow would vanish like the mist.

''With just that little…'' He felt disappointed and irritated with himself at the thought. 

Still – he did not have the leisure to think about his mother at any great length. Now that he was alone again after Percy had left, Leo was once more made aware of how complicated his situation was. Although he was still looking down, he could feel gazes piercing him from every direction.

“Why did he run away?” He could hear their voices. “Even if he came back to Atall, the second-born prince is worthless. The first prince and heir has grown up healthy, while the third prince is loved by everyone at court. Whether the second prince exists or not, it’s all the same.”

“Since he’s not good for anything, at the very least, we could have hoped that he carry out his job as a hostage.”

Naturally, those voices were no more than auditory hallucinations. At that point in time, the second prince was in a strange frame of mind. It was as though his eyes had flown away from his body and he was looking from afar at himself, who was standing still and staring down near the wall. Watching himself from the other people’s point of view, he really was nothing more than a tiny, wretched little boy. 

Perhaps it was a phenomenon unique to Leo, who had been honing his eyes and his skill at observing his own emotions from afar. And in this case, the word ‘eyes’ could just as well be replaced by ‘his heart itself’; that was how Leo was able to cool-headedly observe himself and his surroundings from the viewpoint of a third party. 

Basically, he could see himself as others saw him. Leo understood other people’s feelings very clearly, which was he heard so many of those imaginary voices.

''Honestly, why did you come back, me? Wouldn’t it have been better to be killed in Allion?''

Six years earlier, Claude had told him to wait “until you obtain power equal to the name ‘Attiel’.” However, in the end, he had done nothing in those six years to either surpass it or find a substitute for it. It was entirely fair to say that he was useless. 

''Compared to that…''
 
He vividly recalled the tales from the battlefield that Percy had just told him. Be it Percy, Camus or Kuon, their ages were not so very different from his, yet they had fought a fearsome foe. They had put their lives on the line in that struggle, without letting themselves be overwhelmed. His heart thumped just thinking of it. The feats they had accomplished did not have any relation to either their family names or their lineages. Percy had fought to accomplish his duty, Camus to protect the faith he believed in, and Kuon probably to gain fame. Those reasons had been enough.

As far as Leo was concerned, they were dazzling. What on earth was there for him to fight against or to fight to obtain?

Although he had no way of knowing it, his laments were a lot like those of Hayden Swift. Neither of them had anything more that they could wish for, nor any way of showing their abilities, so they had sunk far down instead.

Leo felt envious as he imagined Percy and the others dashing across the battlefield. If he had been born a commoner, would he too have charged shoulder-to-shoulder with them, a spear in his hand and his face flushed? Would he then be standing with his shoulders miserably hunched up in a place like this, which was more hostile even than enemy territory?

And… what was it Percy had talked about last? Oh right, he had said that the warrior monk called Camus had wanted to kill Allion’s envoy, Hayden, to get the situation to move again. He had gotten distracted because his mother had made her entrance at that moment, but thinking back on it now, it had been a truly audacious and thrilling conversation.

Leo’s lips curved into a faint and bitter smile.

He could imagine being born a commoner, but even so, he didn’t think that he would be able to show the same determination in any situation that Camus had. He who had no value other than as a hostage, he who could not even look directly into his mother’s face – he probably would not be able to carry through with that way of life like the level-headed Percy or the reckless Kuon.

''They will make names for themselves. That’s an impossible fight for me, since I’m enmeshed in the name ‘Attiel’.''

It was that bitter thought that had made him smile, but he quickly retracted it in case it made him look arrogant. He returned to seeing things from his own position, and lifted his head. The piercing gazes that had been shot at him like arrows scattered and fell.

Everyone chatted light-heartedly about things that had nothing to do with Leo. Outwardly, at any rate; before long, there were people who started sending glances his way again. Earlier, Leo had turned away from them, but this time, mostly on impulse, he deliberately returned their looks. His eyes met those of a portly noble. Leo smiled sweetly; looking flustered, the man sketched something like a bow before turning to avoid his eyes.

''Interesting'', though Leo Attiel.

The reason why they were currently looking down on him and disregarding his presence was because Leo was an Attiel.
Meanwhile, the reason why they could not ignore him and had to show him more than common courtesy was also because Leo was an Attiel.

When he realised that, a faint feeling of mischievousness took root in him. In the end, he had not been able to obtain anything equal to the name of ‘Attiel’, but Claude had said something else six years ago: “I didn’t have a name. So I made a name for myself and proved my own existence.” Looking at it the other way round, the power that Claude had struggled for, fought for, and had desperately grabbed with his own hands was something that Leo had been given from birth.

''Power, huh?''

A power so insignificant that it almost made Leo burst into laughter. If he had to make a comparison, it was like one of those stray dogs that lived off scavenging scraps in alleyways trying to fight one of the giant dragons whose civilisation had once swept over the entire planet. But, even so, the other dogs in the small area of those narrow backstreets might perhaps be afraid of that stray. Maybe it had the authority to get first pick of the leftover scraps. That was still a form of power.

Leo once again let his gaze wander around the hall. Those whose eyes met his and those whose eyes seemed about to do so all turned away. Among them were three men standing diagonally across from the wall he himself was next to.

He recognised them. All of them were vassal-lords with their own established castles.

One of them was Oswell Taholin, the man who had strongly urged the sovereign-prince to send reinforcements to the temple. His hair was already conspicuously tinged with grey. Even six years ago, people were talking about whether he wouldn’t soon be handing over the family headship to his son, but it seemed that he was currently still residing at his castle as its lord.

With Oswell were Bernard and Tokamakk.

Bernard was in his mid-thirties. He was tall and had a sturdy build. Both his hair and beard were neatly groomed, but his clothing was dishevelled. With that said, it was undoubtedly an artful disarray. He was, after all, a dandy. Be it at court or on the battlefield, he was man who stood out wherever he was, and equally, he was a young fellow whose eyes followed the behinds of every woman who happened to walk past him.

The third man, slender and fair-skinned, was Tokamakk. He was the complete opposite of Oswell: a youth who had only just been handed the position of head of the family by his father, who had recently been confined to a sickbed. Since his father had been late having a son, Tokamakk was still only twenty-one years old. When Leo had entered the hall, he had made an effort when presenting himself, but his hostility towards the prince was obvious behind the cramped smile that he wore.

His expression then was the same as it was now, and Tokamakk’s bearing showed that, for some reason, he disliked being with Oswell. It was clear from his animosity towards Leo that Tokamakk did not want any quarrels with Allion, so he probably did not have any kind feelings towards the one who had advised the sovereign-prince to send reinforcements to the temple. However, their ages were as far apart as that of a parent and child. Oswell was smiling benignly and seemed to be making evasive conversation with Tokamakk, who was a straightforward young man. Bernard looked like he was finding it amusing to watch them, and he occasionally opened his mouth to poke fun at something.

Leo started to walk towards them. His heart was pounding.

''I’ll give it a try.''

In Allion’s rural backwaters, the name ‘Attiel’ had not held any great power – well, actually, being able to provide him with food every day to fill his belly and a warm bed to sleep in was already pretty great, but it wasn’t the kind of power that could shake society at large – but how about in the Atall’s own palace?

''I’ll test how far my fangs can reach in this world of stray dogs.''

Somewhere in his thoughts, he had the stories that Percy had told about fighting against Allion. He was probably in a frame of mind similar to that of a child who had gone to bed with their heart throbbing after their parents had read them heroic tales, and who wanted to gather up all their friends as early as possible tomorrow to play heroes.

He wasn’t being carried away with fervour. This was nothing but a game. An innocent child’s game, just as Florrie had sung about.

''Was I born to play? Was I born to frolic?''<ref>“Was I born to play or flirt?” or “Was I born to play? Was I born to frolic?”, is a line from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_to_Make_the_Dust_Dance_on_the_Beams ''Ryōjin Hishō''] (梁塵秘抄/Songs to Make the Dust Dance on the Beams), a collection of songs popular in 12th century Japan and compiled by Emperor Go-Shirakawa (1127-1192). Thanks to the help of the Taira and Minamoto, Go-Shirakawa seized the throne after a struggle for succession and a brief civil war (the Hōgen rebellion]), but reigned only three years before completely losing effective power to first the Taira then the Minamoto who had once supported him. After the Genpei War between the two samurai families, Minamoto no Yoritomo established the Kamakura shogunate, and the emperors of Japan were reduced to figureheads for the next few centuries. Leo humming a song associted with this emperor is probably ominous. It could also be indicating that he is very well-read, since the anthology he is quoting is relatively obscure.Finally, [http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft2f59n7x0&chunk.id=d0e12799&toc.id=d0e11416&toc.depth=1&brand=ucpress&anchor.id=JD_Page_133#X this song in particular], sung by an aged prostitute, is controversial since it can be interpreted either as her regretting her old way of life, or nostalgically looking back on her youth, which would fit Leo's ambiguous reputation.</ref> He hummed to himself.

The three people noticed his approach. Their expressions were uniformly startled, but each of them greeted “His Highness, Lord Leo” with the appropriate courtesy. Realising that Leo was empty-handed, Bernard offered him a wine cup. Leo was about to refuse, but then changed his mind at the last moment and took it.

“But please keep it a secret from my father,” he said jokingly. Bernard grinned.

“Tonight’s banquet is also a celebration of your safe return, Your Highness. His Majesty the Sovereign-Prince will surely overlook something like this.”

“Is that right?”

“With all due respect, I believe it would be best to stop,” Tokamakk interjected. Even though he was always pale, his face was now strangely white. Bernard made a fed-up expression.

“You’re being so rigid again.”

“It’s not an issue of being rigid or soft. Allion’s envoy has been invited to this banquet. There are still many uncertainties about what direction the relationship between our two countries is heading towards. Since it was our side which acted improperly towards Allion, Lord Hayden’s mood might be soured if he sees the prince merrily getting drunk.”

By that time, Leo had already shifted his viewpoint to one outside of the four of them. As soon as he did so, his anxiety and fear melted away, and it felt as though he was a spectator watching a play on stage. And the very best actors were those whose field of vision stretched wide, and who could pay careful attention not only to themselves, but also to each of the other people.

''In other words, you’re saying that I needed to understand my position as a hostage.''

Leo put on a fearful expression and seemed about to put the wine cup back down.

Tokamakk smiled when he saw that. It was a smile that was very like the one that Hayden had worn at the Anglatt manor.

In that moment, Leo drained the contents of the wine cup in one gulp.

“Oh!” Bernard exclaimed out loud.

“Y-Your Highness!” Tokamakk’s voice sounded as though his throat was clogged up.

“I have no taste for alcohol,” Leo’s expression was unconcerned. “Getting drunk, not getting drunk… I don’t have anything to measure that by. So I tried having a cup. It’s fine: if it’s just this, then I think it will take three cups before I show any effects.”

He stretched out a hand towards Bernard, who immediately handed him another cup. Meanwhile, Tokamakk’s pale face flashed as though lit by a fire.

“Your Highness, you are being reckless.”

“It’s only one or two cups. What are you making such a fuss about?” Bernard reproved him, although he had probably realised that the prince's drinking was not what had caused Tokamakk’s anger. “Were you always this rigid? When I brought you with me to my favourite brothel in Tiwana, weren’t you having a grand old time? How many girls did you go with that time? Three… four, was it?”

“L-Lord Bernard, you can’t talk about something like that at a place like this!”

“Oh, I’m just jealous of you being a bachelor. Do you know how what my wife and daughter put me through afterwards? It was definitely someone from your house who betrayed me. It’ll be a while before I forget this grudge.”

Leo smilingly watched the exchange between the two. At the same time, however, and from a spectator’s position, he was carefully observing Oswell’s expression and behaviour, as well as those of the surrounding people who were casting interested glances their way.

“Lord Bernard, your wife and daughter are both renowned for their beauty. Personally, I'm jealous of you,” when Oswell said that, Leo looked as though he had just thought of something.

“Did you not bring them with you? How unfortunate… I would love to present them my greetings.”

“But of course. My wife and daughter have both been influenced by the Cross Faith, so they might seem a little eccentric, but if you come to visit us, Prince, my entire family will be happy to welcome you. It would be an honour for our castle.”

After exchanging some more light-hearted chatter, Leo broached the main topic with an ‘oh-by-the-way’ sort of expression.

“…Sir Tokamakk, earlier you mentioned that our future relations with Allion remain uncertain.”

''It looks like I’ll have to direct the conversation a little forcefully''. Since he realised that the three of them were a little tense, Leo had quickly reached that conclusion, but he continued to smile as though this was not the main issue he had wanted to discuss.

“What do you mean by that? Since we are holding this banquet for Sir Hayden, we should be able to pat ourselves on the back about the fact that relations with Allion will not grow worse.”

“It is not that simple,” Tokamakk’s voice and expression were stiff, but his feelings showed clearly through his transparent mask –

''Brainless brat.''

Leo immediately looked anxious.

“You don’t mean that there’s a risk Allion might declare war on our country?”

“That is a possibility. Even now.”

“T-Then, should head towards Allion to put a stop to it?”

''What’s he saying at'' this ''point…'' It wasn’t only Tokamakk’s face that reflected that thought; Oswell and Bernard’s were the same.

Tokamakk bitterly shook his head.

“Allion probably no longer needs you, Prince. If it intends to start something, no excuses or tribute will stop it. We will have no alternative but to take our spears and put ourselves on the battle front.”

''This is the situation that'' '''you''' ''brought down on your own country'' – It was probably only because he wanted to berate this simple-minded prince that Tokamakk was bringing up such an extreme topic. Honestly, Leo had expected it to take a little longer. But since the other side had offered him such a perfect opportunity…

''Now'' – the Leo Attiel who was watching from a distance whispered to him.

“Is that so? Take up our spears to fight… you say?”

“Exactly. It goes without saying that Allion is a powerful country. If it comes to war, every one of Atall’s subjects will need to be prepared to take arms. Naturally, even you, Lord Leo, will be no exception…”

“Hearing that is a great relief.”

''What?'' The three people once more wore the same expressions. The only one still smiling, Leo drank from the second cup.

''This is bad'' – it looked as though Oswell was having a hard time stopping that thought from showing on his face.

“What do you mean when you say that you feel relieved?” he asked Leo in a careful voice.

Leo took his time to answer, drinking his cup empty before he did so.

“When I was staying in Allion, I asked the people there, half as a joke, what kind of battles they expected if the situation with Atall once more turned to war, and what kind of outcome they predicted. Their answer was perfectly clear: ‘it won’t come to war’.”

“…”

“‘After all,’ they said, ‘Atall’s vassal-lords don’t have any obligation to send soldiers to the central ruler. They would oppose such an overwhelmingly unfavourable war. And if it looks like something is going to happen, as long as we promise to let them keep at least half of their possessions, they’ll go from trembling in fear to easily switching sides, and they’ll let Tiwana fall to us’.”

The three were left speechless. 

This time, Lord Leo stretched out his hand in a slovenly manner, and it was Oswell who handed him the third cup. With it I hand, Leo continued,

“Actually, they told me that they had planned to hold out their hand to the vassal-lords during the previous war. That pointless war ended quickly. I had no way of verifying what they said, so I felt terribly depressed. But hearing what you said just now, Sir Tokamakk, I feel at ease. After all, you are all ready to fight for Atall at any time, right? I feel like going straight back to Allion ad thrusting those words at them. This time, it will be their turn to tremble, right?”

“…”

“Oh but no, I don’t need to go all the way back to Allion,” Leo nodded triumphantly. “Sir Hayden will soon be here. I happen to be acquainted with him. I must go and tell him at once about Atall’s determination.”

“S – Stop! N – No… I mean, please wait, Your Highness,” exclaimed Oswell, speaking instead of Tokamakk, whose mouth didn’t seem to be functioning properly.

His expression mirrored Bernard’s, who was next to him. ''Don’t tell me'', could clearly be read on both their faces, ''d – don’t tell me that this damned brat is planning to make a fool out of us adults?''

Leo did not feel any duty to answer that question of theirs. He simply maintained his smile. Blinking in confusion, Oswell said,

“It’s better to keep that determination concealed in our hearts. To let the opponent take us lightly and then, when the time comes, to act decisively is…

“If we allow them to look down on us, we’re giving the enemy a chance to invade us. By showing them that we are ready to fight to the very last soldier, we can prevent the enemy from making any hasty moves.”

“T – That’s true, there is that… But…”

Leo was satisfied with the conversation.

After that, they talked lightly about Allion’s possible arrangement of troops and also about how best to deploy Atall’s forces. All of this on the assumption that the vassal-lords would send out their soldiers. While attempting to read Leo’s expression and to sound him out on how serious he was being, the three of them could not afford to ignore the conversation given the current situation.

A little later, Tokamakk, followed by Oswell, made some vague excuses and left the prince. Only Bernard remained. For a short while, both of them stayed silent. During that interval, Leo’s gaze followed Oswell’s back, watching as he went to speak to other vassal-lords. Maybe he was walking around making small talk by telling stories of the ridiculous Lord Leo since they turned around to look towards Leo, but when they saw him staring fixedly at them, they hurriedly shifted their gaze forward again.

Leo Attiel’s gaze did not only follow Oswell; it travelled carefully around the other vassal-lords and nobles as well. There were plenty of variations even among the nobles: on the one hand, there were those dressed in gorgeous clothes, while on the other there were those whose shabby appearance would make it easy to mistake them for servants working at the palace. There were those who exchanged smiling voices, and those  –  was it because of some past history or because they were currently in the middle of a quarrel  –  who would not even look at each other.

''They…'' even if the country were in danger, they would absolutely never unite to defend it – Leo felt that realisation so strongly it left him stunned.

“Oswell Taholin…”

“Yes?” Leo had spoken so suddenly that Bernard answered out of sheer surprise. Leo didn’t pay it any attention and continued,

“I had not expected him to behave so boldly.”

“... By which, you mean…?”

“He was the one who advised my father to send reinforcements to the temple. Naturally, everyone here is aware of that fact.”

“Of course.”

“Given the situation, his position should be as bad as mine, who ran away from Allion.... Or perhaps even worse. Something along the lines of: ‘it’s your fault that Atall is on the brink of danger’, no?”

“That… No, that’s true.”

Bernard probably didn’t know where the conversation was headed. Nor did he notice that Leo’s tone had changed; he simply felt uncomfortable.

“Yet even so,” Leo put the third cup, that he had never seemed interested in drinking, back on the table, “he is very dignified. Even when Tokamakk was criticising him, he didn’t bat an eyelash. It’s been six years since I saw him, but I don’t remember Oswell having nerves this strong.”

“...”

“That story about what was planned, is it true?”

This time, Bernard did not ask anything. Hs head slightly lowered, he only opened his eyes wide. In response, Leo deliberately pretended to be impatient.

“I asked you a question. Answer.”

For a moment, anger flashed across Bernard’s face at Leo’s high-handed tone. After a few seconds had passed, however, he started to speak heavily.

“...It’s true that before the last war began, an envoy from Allion, disguised as an itinerant entertainer, visited the castles of the vassal-lords. He came to mine too. It wasn’t anything as grandiose as a plan, though. He claimed that since Allion didn’t wish for a war at that time, his mission was to ask us to band together and try to persuade the sovereign-prince out of it.”

“That would have been more than enough to throw our camp into chaos. He must have hinted at rewards too,” this time Leo did not demand an answer, switching instead to another question. “Does my father know?”

“Lord Oswell apparently travelled to Tiwana at the earliest opportunity and explained everything directly to His Majesty the Sovereign-Prince.”

''Father knew about it? In that case, this isn’t a topic that Bernard particularly needs to conceal anything about.''

Leo was a little disappointed, but, well, getting him to tell even this much to a seventeen-year-old boy wasn’t a bad result for now. Even if Bernard had, ostensibly, pledged allegiance to Sovereign-Prince Magrid, and even if Leo merited his respect by virtue of being a prince, Bernard had no actual obligation to obey when Leo had ordered him to ‘Answer’.

“Is that so, Oswell was it?” having started it Leo, continued with his act. “That would certainly have earned him His Majesty’s trust. Enough so that when he advocated sending troops to the temple, His Majesty took that advice.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Bernard's question was asked in a low voice, but Leo had only spoken an idea out loud, and the conversation had simply veered in that direction by chance. At that point, Leo was preoccupied with something else.

''So the ‘Attiel power’ that I hold is, at best, just this much?''

He had wanted to try out how effective the weapons he had to hand were, but although he gone barging in, the end result was that they only allowed him to ‘not be ignored by the vassal-lords’. Even though he was supposed to have known that from the start, Leo felt so irritated that the top of his head seemed to be burning, and at the same time, he felt so anxious that it seemed as though he was about to collapse.

''It’s not just me. Atall itself is horribly fragile and flimsy. A single whisper from Allion can upset things this easily.''

With Atall as it was, even a man as powerless as he was could easily throw it into chaos as long as he simply had Allion’s backing. It would be like a dragon stepping forward and trampling over a hut: it would effortlessly be crushed underfoot.

Leo inwardly caught his breath. His body went cold to the core, just as though the castle ramparts, that he had always implicitly believed to be so solid, and the palace walls with them had collapsed with a thunderous roar and left him exposed to the winds.

He was enraged at the people who laughing happily. It felt as though he was the only one who was facing up to their terrifying reality.

However, he had just been made to realise just how weak the ‘power’ that he wielded really was. It was a paltry thing, incapable of changing anything..

''If I want more power…''

He could feel himself being bathed in the light – as bright as the noonday sun – coming from the brilliant flames that shone all around from the chandeliers, from the lamps on top of the tables and from the candles; whereas looking at his surroundings, he had the impression that they were somewhat dark and dim.

''If I want to be the strongest ‘Attiel’... that only means one thing – becoming the sovereign-prince.''