Editing Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Chapter5 (section)

===Part 2===


Oswell Taholin's territory, Archon, stretched from the eastern tip of the Iron Chain mountain range down towards the south. Since the mountains protected it from the northern cold, it was an area which remained comparatively mild even in the winter, whereas in this season, which was starting to carry a hint of summer warmth, the many forests that dotted the land helped soften the heat. As a result, it was an area where all of the noble families had built holiday villas.

“Live in Tiwana to spend money; do business in Dharam to make money; retire with money to the banks of the River Archon,” was a saying that was often repeated within the country.

Fields stretched out on either side of the highway, and farmers could be seen working vigorously, harvesting the wheat. A group was travelling along the road towards the castle town, looking at those figures without really seeing them.

A carriage rolled on at a leisurely pace, and those travelling on foot around it all wore leather cloaks over their long religious robes.

“Still, I've always thought so, but you really are stupid, Neville,” said a tall man. “Look at how you were when we met Bishop Baal in his hall. Saying too much for no reason just got you injured. At times like that, you should stifle your breathing, stifle your presence and keep a careful watch on the situation. Especially in one like that where we didn't know anything: we were surrounded by enemies, and we didn't know why those enemies had us brought to them or what they wanted from us.”

“I'm greatly obliged to you for your teachings, venerable elder,” retorted the young man walking next to him.

The tall man stuck out his lower lip and shrugged.

“''That's'' exactly it. You look so solemn, no matter what you're saying. There are times when I think I'm a complete fool for talking to you.”

“Everyone knows that you're uneducated, Godwin. And yet you think that you can call me an idiot and make fun of me? I really can't stand guys like you.”

“Want me to strangle you with your own hands until you repent, cretin?”

How long had it been since they had met Bishop Baal? Their appearances had completely changed from what they had looked like while in prison, when they had been emaciated, covered in grime, and with long, unkempt hair and beards.

Godwin had recovered the brawny body that had made him stand out even among the warriors of the Cruciform Army, and which had lead to his being feared as the 'colossal monk'. He now strode along the highway as his thick blond hair fluttered in the wind.

Neville, on the other hand, had cut his hair short, like a monk. When they had met with Baal, he had been as thin as a skeleton, which made the sharp glint of his eyes stand out almost eerily. Now, however, he had regained weight, his dress was neat and tidy, and his virile good looks caused quite a number of those they passed on the road to want to turn around and look at him again. His cheeks were still a bit sunken, but then again, that had always been how he looked, even before the prison. Compared to Godwin's more rounded face, he gave off an austere impression.

“Heh, that was a joke.”

“A joke? I've known you for a long time, but I still don't get your jokes.”

“I get what you're saying, Godwin, but I can't change myself at this point. From the moment I became aware of how I am but an empty void in God's gracious presence, changing how I am was no longer in my own hands.”

“That's a beautifully poetic exegesis, comrade.”

“What's an exegesis?”

“It means to explain to other people something that you saw, or heard, or felt. Pictures, songs or talking are all forms of exegesis for people.”

Neville's joke about Godwin being 'uneducated' had clearly rankled, and he was showing off the half-understood knowledge that his companions in the Cruciform Army had taught him.

The two of them were from the same village. Godwin, who had been known for his strength since he was very young, had been the first to enter the Cruciform Army. Then, a few years later and almost as though chasing after him, Neville had also donned the that unit's blue uniform.

Neville was a scrupulous young man, and even within the army corps, he was especially devoted to his duty. It was to the point that if he had received the order from above to 'die', he might have cut his throat on the spot. On top of that, he was extraordinarily skilled, and when it came to handling the halberd, there were very few people who could win against him in a one-on-one fight.

But by the time he entered the corps, the civil war was already in its final stages, and he was captured before his fame could spread throughout the lands of Dytiann. Even so, the two of them were able to escape thanks to the help of friends.

While they were being hidden in one place and another by acquaintances from all over, they attacked carts transporting goods to the Papal States, and continuously made things difficult for Mordin and the others who were trying to make changes to the states. Ultimately, however, those were no more that the struggles of pygmies in grass canoes against a huge, oncoming wave. After three years, the two of them were caught by the troops of the 'Current Church faction', and thrown into a filthy and cramped underground dungeon, where there were very few to provide them with anything they needed.

That had been less than a year ago.

Bantering in their own style, Neville and Godwin continued along the highways of the Principality of Atall, in the direction of Archon. Their destination was Aconrey, the town built at the foot of the castle belonging to Oswell Taholin, one of the vassal-lords. And there, the two of them would wield their blades to kill Leo Attiel. That was the mission that Bishop Baal had given them.

When they had first heard it, neither Neville nor Godwin could believe their ears.

“What do we have to do with the prince of a small country like Atall? And assassination? Go ask someone else,” said Neville.

“This isn't assassination,” Baal answered seriously. “You will be destroying an envoy of the Devil and exorcising the taint of evil from this world.”

“Aren't you the bastards who took the citadel? Then why aren't you giving such a glorious mission to one of those on your side? If you're really acting in accordance with the Lord's will, you should be able to chase away a devil with just your prayers, right?”

“I don't have time for endless debates,” Baal cut through Neville's words as though he found them truly childish. “Time is precious. What I want is a swift and prompt decision from those able to bring down that Hell's spawn.”

Baal stressed that one point, that 'time is precious', without offering any further information.

Neville and Godwin had family back in their native village. The only one Godwin had left was his elderly mother, but Neville had married in his late teens and had children. They had wanted to go and see them after they escaped, but since they knew there was a high chance that the 'Current Church faction' would be monitoring their relatives, they both of them decided to consider that they no longer had any family, and acted accordingly.

And yet...

“I will release your families if you successfully carry out this mission.” – There was no way that the young men's hearts would not be swayed when they heard those words.

It was probably because he could tell that their hearts were moved that Baal smiled then for the first time.

“There would normally need to be a certain amount of recognition and glory for heroism but, since that is what you wish, I will not make this matter public. I'm proud of you for not seeking fame, fighting only to bring about the time when God's glory will shine upon the whole world,” he even went as far as to say.

''Your names will not be made know'' – essentially, what that meant was: ''it will not be made public that you took part in an assassination.''

It was thanks to those words that Neville made his decision. He, who was from a farming village, had taken up weapons and taken lives only because he deeply believed that he needed to do so for the Pope, God's representative in this world. It was true that his family had been taken hostage, but he had devoted himself to the Pope, and if his name spread because of his being involved in assassination, then he would never again be able to face either his family or his now deceased master.

Neville informed Baal that he would accept the mission.

''But after that, I’ll drag you on a chariot of flames and plunge you into regret as deep as the depths of Hell that you ever let me hold a weapon again.''

Hatred blazed in his heart.



A few days before Neville and Godwin arrived in Aconrey, Oswell received a reply to his invitation from Lord Leo.

“I am truly delighted to learn of your desire to experience God's will through his teachings. I am also anxious the learned gentlemen from Dytiann, and I will certainly do myself the pleasure of coming to visit you in a few days.”

Oswell felt himself tremble when he read the contents. He looked over them again and again.

''Finally...''

Both his mind and body were so tense that it felt as tough he was being squeezes by some giant hand, and he felt like he was suffocating and unable to find any ease. As I mentioned previously, the path to success had crumbled in front of Oswell each and every time. Lord Leo had recently become a major roadblock to him.

He would kill Leo.

And of course, he wasn't the only to share this thought. With Hawking of Allion acting as a link between them, Oswell of Atall and Baal of Dytiann were working together to make their shared wish come true.

First of all, using the fact that Leo was trying to propagate the Cross Faith within the country, Oswell had invited him on the grounds that he was building a church. Even if the prince refused with the excuse that he was too busy, or something like that, simply establishing a parish within his fief meant that Oswell would have any number of opportunities to invite Leo again in the future. Which also meant that Oswell was prepared to be in it for the long haul. However, Leo had jumped at the bait with unexpected alacrity.

Leo would blithely wander over and enter the house that was being converted into a church. There, warriors chosen by Baal and disguised as priests would be waiting for him. The bishop had gone to great pains to gather a dozen skilled but unknown individuals. And at the head of that list were, needless to say, Neville and Godwin.

But Leo might be on his guard if there were nothing but nameless attendants.

And so, also on Baal's advice, a priest by the name of Gemili was travelling with them. He was the man who had been shaken about in the carriage.

He had belonged to the same monastery as Baal when the latter was still a monk. Even back in those days, Gemili had lived a life of laziness and dissipation so, even though he was a little older than Baal, his junior had despised him since their youth. Gemili, however, was the youngest son of a domain lord with enough authority to employ soldiers from the Papal States, so he had been ordained unusually quickly. Still, he was a terrible drunkard. Not even his father's influence could cancel out his repeated excesses, which was why he had worked as a parish priest in Baal's church for more than ten years now, without ever making it to bishop himself.

Baal had given Gemili this task with the air of giving small change to a child and sending them on an errand. He had, of course, hidden the truth, and had simply instructed him to: “Travel with Neville and the others to carry out missionary work in Atall.”

Setting his personality aside, Gemili was well-known. So even if there were somebody at Leo's side who was knowledgeable about Dytiann's internal affairs, they probably wouldn't expect anything strange to occur since a big name from the 'Current Church faction' had publicly announced his participation.

At the house, Leo's group would meet and talk with those from Dytiann, including Gemili, Neville and Godwin. Oswell would initially be present at the meeting, but would soon leave because of having some business to attend to.

“And that's when you kill Leo,” Baal had carefully gone over his instructions to Neville and the others.

He did not inform those who were to carry out the assassination that Oswell was working with him. He worried that if they knew that there were people within Atall who wished for the prince's death, they might start questioning why they were the ones who had been chosen to assassinate him.

Which was why Baal told Neville and the others that: “Your weapons and escape route will be prepared by one of my agents, who will be sent beforehand to infiltrate the Taholin House.”

That was not the only thing that Oswell and Baal kept hidden from the assassins.

Oswell would arrange to have soldiers lie concealed around the house; they were to wait until the meeting was in progress, then simultaneously shoot fire arrows at the building. Meanwhile, the exits would, of course, have been locked, and if anyone managed to force their way out, they would be met with armed and armoured soldiers.

Leo's group would fall prey to the flames or to the soldiers' swords and spears, but so would Neville and the others. Father Gemili would be no exception.

Oswell Taholin would just barely manage to escape the burning house – that would be the official story, at any rate – and would pretend to learn from his servants that: “Neville's group killed Lord Leo. The fire must have been caused during the struggle. When we heard the uproar, we came running over with soldiers and slew Gemili, the ringleader, as he was trying to flee our territory.”

They would also claim to have 'understood the situation' after inspecting the corpses:

“Neville's group came here as official envoys from Dytiann's Church, but they had falsified their real identities and actually belonged to the former Holy See, which fought against the current Church authorities. They were aiming to cause war between Dytiann and Atall by murdering Lord Leo.”

“Those damned rebels probably intended to take advantage of the turmoil that would cause to bring down Dytiann and allow the old Holy See to seize power again. Father Gemili shouldn't have had any connection to the Holy See, but it looks like he used in this plan either because he was being threatened by them, or because he had been tricked.”

That was the version of events that they publicly announce.

By throwing Neville, Godwin and the others to the flames, and blaming them for Leo's death, they were aiming to prove that neither Oswell nor Dytiann's regime were directly connected to the prince's murder. However, it was of course inevitable that Oswell would earn the fury of both Dytiann and Atall for having foolishly invited the assassins.

Which was why Oswell and Baal would pretend to hurriedly set up a meeting immediately after the events to: 'handle this mutual emergency as quickly as possible.'

“This was all done by the partisans of the former Holy See, and our two countries cannot be foolish enough to fall for the plot and turn our blades against one another,” they would say as they pretended to work out a solution. For example, perhaps they could propose that Mordin might come to Atall on a condolence call? In that way, Oswell would paint the image of himself as a man who was doing everything he could to calm the tension between the two lands, and so he would avoid taking too much damage to his reputation.

Put another way, Oswell was fully aware that this plan would lead to his reputation being tarnished for a while.

It was the same for Baal.

Even though the crime would be committed by a group which was hostile to Dytiann's current government, the Church's influence would inevitably suffer since they had been unable to prevent it from happening. It was only five years since the end of the civil war, and its embers had yet to be extinguished, so that this would be a hard blow for the country. But Baal was willing to risk it, so deep was his desire to see Leo dead.