Editing Tytania:Volume 5 Chapter 5 (section)

=== II ===
The fourth and fifth unmanned ships rammed into the ''Black Prince'', erupting in a dizzying light of explosions. Doctor Lee, who had been staring intently at the screen, muttered.

“This is beyond absurd.”

“Eh? What is?”

“The ''Black Prince'' has been rendered immobile. The fleet of Uraniborg is almost entirely annihilated. Duke Ariabert has perished, and the AJ Alliance forces have lost a third of their strength.”

“That’s terrible.”

Miranda shook her head.

“Tytania fighting against itself… a truly disgraceful sight.”

“That is the reality, Miranda. The military might of Tytania, which was once greater than any other nation in the universe, is now as good as nonexistent.”

Doctor Lee placed a hand to his chin, his expression turning pensive.

“It is the greatest instance of cannibalism in history. If someone devised this whole situation single-handedly, it would be a terrifying mastermind.”

“Doctor Lee, are you talking about yourself?”

The Doctor responded with a dismissive smile.

“That is the greatest overestimation in history. Duke Ariabert was a top-tier commander of the highest order. Duke Zarlisch was an unparalleled ruthless general. Fan Hyulick was, if one were to be complimentary, a master of unpredictable stratagems—wait no, I shouldn’t use the past tense here. Anyway, each of these three had their own complicated history with one another, but not a single one of them could have inflicted this much damage and disgrace upon Tytania.”

The beams of light invading the ship from the screen created a contrast of light and shadow, much like ancient monochrome footage. While possibly thousands of lives were extinguished every time the shadows shifted, no pirate aboard felt inclined to voice such sentimental opinions at that time.

Thanks to Captain Casimir’s exquisite manoeuvring, the ''Honest Old Man Junior'' sailed through the fringes of the vast battlefield almost entirely unscathed. At the same time, the ''Black Prince''’s utterly irrational ferocity in battle was throwing both armies into disarray. It was as if a pack of well-trained hounds were being tossed about by a single mad dog.

“I certainly wouldn’t want to fight someone like that.”

Miranda shrugged her shoulders, which were more robust than those of any ordinary man.

“I almost feel sorry for the Tytanians. If they were pirates, they’d just make a quick escape, but an army can’t do quite that easily.”

“The survivor pensions are going to be astronomical, aren’t they?”

After Mahdi made that remark so characteristic of himself, a question was directed back at him:

“Do you know what a snowman is, Mahdi?”

“Enough of that, Doctor. You’ve asked me that same question before.”

“Yes. So, how do you make one?”

“Well, first you make a small snowball, and then you roll it across the snow, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger. Eventually, you lose control of it, and it starts rolling off on its own in unexpected directions.”

The Doctor massaged his upper eyelid with his fingertip.

“The various incidents and chaos that have occurred in space over this past year were built up just like a snowman. Someone created a snowball filled with poison and malice, rolled it across the snow, and allowed it to grow rapidly.”

“That… surely you don’t mean Fan Hyulick, do you?”

“No, Seraphine. Whether by good fortune or bad, Hyulick was merely the catalyst. After that, he was simply caught up in it. He was merely used by someone’s hidden scheme.”

Perhaps to gather his thoughts, Doctor Lee fell silent, but he opened his mouth again shortly after.

“That individual was waiting patiently for the right moment to arrive. Consequently, he immediately used Hyulick to set his plan for the destruction of Tytania into motion.”

Everyone listened quietly to the Doctor’s “lecture”.

“After Duke Zarlisch died, the balance of power between the Four Dukes collapsed. I thought the remaining three dukes would enter a three-way struggle, but because two of them formed a strong alliance, it became a two-against-one situation. As the outcome of the conflict seemed poised to be decided early and threatened a soft landing, that individual schemed to have Duke Ariabert assassinated to restore the balance of conflict.”

The group listening to the lecture stared at Doctor Lee in collective shock. The image they had been vaguely imagining until then suddenly came into sharp focus.

“Anyway, I have finally identified the culprit. However, there is still something I cannot grasp regarding his motives… To reach a final conclusion, I must see it with my own eyes.”

Her voice raspy, Miranda asked:

“Doctor, you don’t mean…?”

He lowered the hand that had been rubbing his eyelids.

“Won’t you understand unless I explicitly say his name?”

As Doctor Lee looked around at his “students”, the one who was probably the most insensitive among them shouted.

“If you put it like that, of course we know! It’s the Clanner. Clanner Ajman himself is trying to destroy Tytania, though I don’t know why. Am I right, Doctor?”

“Yes, that is a passing grade, Mahdi.”

“If it is so, he shouldn’t have been the Clanner in the first place!”

“Are you saying he should have gently waited to let himself be purged?” asked Walenkov, as if seeking confirmation, while stroking his large head with his large palm. “In other words, you are saying the Clanner attempted to bring about the collapse of Tytania from the very top? The exact opposite of a normal ''coup''<ref name="ftn14">The expression used here is “inferiors overthrowing their superiors” (下克上).</ref>?”

“Well, to simplify it, it sums up pretty simply the general scheme.”

“Quite a long process of simplification,” complained Pagès. “Besides, I find it difficult to accept your reasoning, Doctor. If someone goes to great lengths to wield the power and cunning in order to rise to the position of Clanner, it would be only natural to attempt to maintain it. Am I wrong?”

“Ultimately, I suppose I could say in plain terms that he simply found himself disappointed once he arrived at the top.”

“If that were the case, he could have just retired of his own accord,” said Seraphine, stating her opinion.

“Even if Ajman himself were to retire, Tytania would remain.”

“He could just leave it be, couldn’t he?”

“You don’t understand, Miranda.”

“Ah, yeah, I just don’t get it. I don’t understand the psychology of the Clanner, and I don’t quite follow your analysis, Doctor. Perhaps we’re all far more ordinary than we thought.”

Doctor Lee responded to Miranda’s words with a look of rare exhaustion.

“Maybe so. If I had to state it plainly, I believe that Ajman wanted to rule over the cosmos, not as the Clanner of Tytania, but in his own right. I surmise that this is his struggle, at least for the time being.”

It was Mahdi, rather than Miranda, who reacted first to the Doctor’s explanation. With impressive dexterity, he let out a simultaneous click of his nose and tongue.

“Does the distinction even matter? He could have simply sat upon his throne and lived out comfortably. To me, Ajman’s worries are nothing more than the self-consciousness of a spoilt young rich brat.”

“Is it truly that simple? Knowing the Clanner, I suspect there might be something much deeper to it.”

“No, Mahdi has a point. Ajman’s perception is profoundly distorted. It is just that Mahdi’s linguistic skill in expressing it lacks some refinement.”

“Are you complimenting me? You’re not, aren’t you?”

“I have merely provided an objective evaluation.”

Doctor Lee rose from his seat, a self-deprecating smile playing upon his lips.

“Well then, isn’t it about time we made our departure? It will be difficult to know whether we shall make it in time for the final scene.”



“All batteries of the fortress guns aboard the ''Black Prince'' are to commence bombardment. Immediately. Delay won’t be tolerated.”

Idris issued the order within the command centre of Uraniborg. A silent stir ran through the officers.

“Are you certain this is acceptable, even without an order from His Clanner Highness?”

“We don’t have a choice.”

“D-Duke Idris…”

“Do it! I won’t repeat myself!”

There was a piercing intensity in Idris’ gaze, one that was difficult to meet directly.



“The hull has been breached…!”

Three minutes later, the reconnaissance officer of the ''Black Prince'' cried out. Had a direct hit from the fortress cannons of Uraniborg occurred, even the energy shutters and armour of the ''Black Prince'' would not have remained unscathed. A massive pillar of light had obliterated several allied ships of Uraniborg all at once and continued its trajectory to pierce straight into the hull of the ''Black Prince''.

The hull of the ''Black Prince'' had already been wounded by the successive ramming attacks launched by Jouslain’s forces. Dragons of flame raced through the ship’s interior, a thick scarlet haze hung in the air, and charred corpses lay heaped upon one another.

Amidst the carnage, Radmoth realised that gun barrels were being pointed at him from every direction. About twenty officers and soldiers with stiff expressions surrounded him, radiating an aura of resolve and hostility.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“We can’t follow you any longer.”

“Bastards, don’t you realise who you are addressing?”

“I understand very well. Radmoth Tytania, you are now our prisoner. Drop your weapons.”

A sinister light flickered in Radmoth’s eyes as he scanned the rebels. The moment his hand reached for the holster at his waist, one of the NCOs, who had been watching him without a moment’s lapse in vigilance, fired silently.