Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume3 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 3===
At this time, Orba lurked under the Lord’s Chamber.

In order to draw Ax out, he had momentary shown himself around an area of food cellars and jailhouses, and used a secret passage together with his men to temporarily hide themselves underground.

The commencement of the bombing was arranged to be when the enemy chasing Prince Gil Mephius rushed the Lord’s Chamber.

The strategy splendidly struck home. The enemy’s stirred voices and flustered cries carried all the way to the cellar.

''All right.''

Signaling his men with his eyes, they made their way through the underground passage. 

It led beneath the dungeons opening to a hole drilled onto the cliffside. Below the cliff flowed the Yunos River across Apta’s western edge. This was originally the place transported goods were carried through but the first Aptan lord had concealed the entrance, claiming the spot convenient as a hiding spot or a place to escape to in an emergency. Having turned into a temporary place of refuge, the cave was reinforced with iron. The would withstand the bombing for the time being. Orba ordered Pashir and the infantry to lay low here while he, leading his personal imperial guards, boarded onto a small boat floating on the river’s surface.

It was night, and furthermore in the underground; the waters beneath the dock splashed up and down dark as darkness itself. Orba stood front and held his lantern up.

After continuing this path and exiting below the cliff, the plan was to strike at the enemies from the flank who climbed using the current transportation route . If the enemy were to happen to already be initiating their retreat, then Orba would just circle ahead of them and lie in ambush. As they rowed the oars against the waters however, the tremors from above stopped.

''It’s too soon.''

Orba, who had traveled down to the cliff’s western bank, observed a ship next to the Dhum. Cannonfire opened across the skies. Dhum’s bombardment had stopped, too preocuppied with returning fire. A look of impatience came across his face after realising the decoy strategy had been seen through.

“Hurry!”

He broke into a run on the path carved onto the cliff.

There was merit in making a sacrifice of the fortress precisely if it could deal a great damage to the enemy, but that the bombing stopped meant a chance Ax Bazgan could get away. And then with a half-destroyed fortress, they wouldn’t be able to defend a third attack from Taulia. Just as Ravan Dol depicted in his mind.

As he hurried his men, Orba looked up repeatedly at the sky. Vileena was most likely inside that flagship. He had told her it didn’t matter even if she decided to wait at Birac, but this was Vileena he was talking to. There was no way she would accept shutting herself in a safe location with the way things were.

He was unsettled.

But at the same time.

''If Vileena’s there...''

He somehow found his one ray of hope there.



The inside of Dhum’s bridge had also risen into a clamour on report of the enemy carrier’s approach.

It had only been a few minutes since they had begun their bombing. The enemy air carrier that should have been lured away by their cruiser frigate had quickly made a full turn and coming back.

“Have they seen through our trap?”

The young captain said with a pale face. While he had graduated from the Winged Dragon Officer School, this was his first time actually taking command in the skies. As for the cruiser frigate prepared as a decoy, it was tasked under the commandeer of Krau, a slave now serving Gil by recommendation of Zaj Haman.

Krau was a profusely experienced pilot, but flying a ship in the battlefield was likely also her first. It was unlikely she would be able to chase the enemy and immediately rally with them now right after the enemy had taken an action running against their expectations.

“T-The enemy has deployed airships!”

An officer viewing through binoculars cried loudly. The captain leaned forward.

“Their numbers?”

“A group of four, wait, five ships are flying our way.”

And at the same time, the enemy carrier opened fire. A second, then third shell came flying and grazing past the Dhum before their eyes.

They possessed no airship force. They had barely scraped a single unit for transmission with the ground, but the rest were turned to Apta’s defenses. As a result, the enemy airships were unobstructed and easily took position above the Dhum. They began to be bombed.

“Uwahh.”

The sky turned red for an instant and then the bridge jerked like it had been grabbed at the neck by a giant hand.

Naturally Dhum’s turrets also returned fire, but the members on board including the captain all were lacking in experience. Each time the ship slanted, cries were raised and many tumbled onto the floor.

Vileena Owell also frantically clung to her chair. Again the sky dyed white. This time was from enemy carrier fire.

“Give ''that'' to me.”

Even as her body was being assaulted by the violent tremors, Vileena reached out her hand and snatched the pair of binoculars from the officer.

The enemy airships drew a curve over them dropping bombs and each time causing the Doom’s hull to break into a tremble. And this time, Vileena was thrown off her seat and flung hard onto her back.

“At this rate, we’ll be sunk!”

One soldier cried out, no longer able to stand it.

“C-Captain, let’s retreat. If even the Dhum gets done in, that means we’ll lose our means to bring the prince back to Solon.” 

Said another, sensibly urging the captain to retreat. The captain was also about to call quits. Vileena bit into her lower lip. Stopping their bombardment here would obstruct the prince’s plan.

Raising her voice over the others, Vileena asked the captain,

“There should be a single airship within our ship, shouldn’t there?”

“T-There is, but...”

In the eyes of the hesitating captain frantically deciding if they should retreat or not, he had no time to deal with the princess. He did not send a gaze her way but still,

“Let me use that. I will head for the cruiser and lead it back here.”

Being told this, he finally stopped and turned to look Vileena’s way. The foreign princess strode determinedly out of the bridge not waiting for any answer. “It’s dangerous!” he shouted out, but Vileena ignored him and disappeared from sight.

The captain clicked his tongue and then turned back towards the front.

The armaments placed on Dhum’s upper deck roared in hopes that it might drive the airship fleet away, but it was producing no results. Even in the captain’s eyes it was a haphazard method of firing that was not likely to land on any of the enemy ships. And though he tried to inspire his men through the voice pipe countlessly, the airships swerved their bodies and disappeared into the sky.

A fourth tremor visited them. Their ship largely slanted to the left. The flagship seemed to be about flipped upright at this rate. However, though swept by many screams, the captain narrowly held his feet to the ground.

“N-No, this can’t go on.”

Coming to the conclusion that they were already driven this far, he screamed with a force that hurled spit from his mouth.

[[Image:Rakuin no Monshou v03_257.jpg|thumb]]
“Staying here will only get us shot down. Retreat! Retreat!!” 

He ordered the helmsman. The entirely disordered men inside seeking direction jumped at the captain’s decision to flee without hesitation.

The hull began turning. Just as they were about to surrender the fortress sky to enemy hands, a clear voice called the evacuation to a stop.

“Please wait.”

“If we do not hold our ground here, we will not be able to smoke out Ax. The enemy is also restless. But if our crucial Dhum flees, it may let the enemy know our forces are inferior and allow them to occupy the fortress, leaving the prince trapped in the midst of the enemy.”

“Princess!” The captain opened his mouth widely. “Weren’t you heading for the airship?”

“I entrusted the task to a soldier on standby in the warship. I will remain here.”

As soon as she said this, Vileena rested her back against her seat once more.

The captain took the sudden change of heart and mistook it as the princess not having the courage to step out.

Vileena continued further, 

“From the enemy airships’ size and shape, the number of bomb shells they can carry are two. They will have no choice but to continually resupply after bombing. Hence, we will endure until our cruiser returns back.”

“Absurd!”

“It is no such thing as absurd,” Vileena defended, mimicking Theresia’s words.

''What does a damn princess know!?''

His anger that should have been pointed towards the enemy had suddenly seemingly shifted towards the princess.

“Dhum is a large heavy cruiser. We are protected by the iron plating placed over the dragonstone. We are shaking like this because of, in all due respect, insufficient maneuvering ability that can keep us steady in the air. This should be the same as a strong wind brushing against the Dhum. That is why we will not be sunk from this degree of bombing. We need only focus on bombing the enemy cruiser. In a headlong confrontation with their ship, our firepower is superior. Look. As proof, the enemy cruiser is maintaining a fixed distance. They are doing nothing more than persistently threatening us through bombing. If we do not want to stay under any further bombardment...” 

Vileena purposely cut her words short. Her gaze faced straight at the captain. The otherwise looked the same way.

“We should be shortening our distance and bombing them...”

As role of command, the captain succeeded those words mouthing them in amazement. It was not that the plan was absurd, but perhaps because he had spoken them personally, it now seemed to him the optimal approach.

He gulped down. He now clearly understood the reason Vileena presumably remained here. It wasn’t that she didn’t have to courage to fly out alone. She instead chose to sit firmly down to spur on the faint-hearted soldiers. Yes, that was the stance of a ‘leader’. 

He started again at Vileena from the side. The fourteen year old princess sat straight up with her hands crossed above her skirt only looking forward, even as her face paled.

''Tch.''

After mumbling something sounding much like a swear,

“I’m withdrawing the order for retreat. Maintain bombing while firing from the ports. Messengers, relay to the stations!” 

He sent the commands through the voice pipe. He had made up his mind.

At this time, by a stroke of fortune, a shot from their defending cannon shot down a ship. The soldiers seeing the enemy ship burst into a ball of flames and falling down burst into cheers. In an instant the atmosphere within the bridge changed.

Vileena nodded once and then kept her back straightened without a single tremor.

When she left the bridge, she had wanted to fly out into the skies as it were, but just as she was about to, the soldiers’ low morale weighed on her mind.

There was no meaning to calling the cruiser back if the Dhum did not hold its position in the air. She resolved herself and gave directions to the pilot on standby in the hangar to dispatch in place of her.

''Grandfather said this once, ’Whether soldiers display unwavering loyalty before their death place or turn into cowards that flee only from the sight of the enemy all depends on their leader.’''

Another tremor hit. Vileena entrenched herself.

Vileena did not fear being caught in the middle of a rain of bullets when she would be the one piloting the plane. But here where she entrusted herself to a pair of wings steered by another, she experienced a never before felt fear of the skies.

Her hands and legs seemed to want to break into trembles. An unease that the bridge might be enveloped in flames and engulf her plagued her. Or perhaps, they might lose control of their flight and be sent crashing into Apta fortress.

Her hands and feet seemed to break into trembles. Still, she tightly ground her teeth and roused herself.

A human revered with noble blood was expected a demeanor of fitting capacity. Vileena at this moment donned the mask of her pictured ‘commander’.

The enemy airship continued on with its fire—.



“Tch! What’s taking so long?!”

Ravan Dol smacked his tongue as his face pointed upwards. Mephius’ flagship did not move even as it being bombed from several directions as if saying it would not forfeit the skies no matter the cost. The report that the soldiers were inexperienced seemed to have been wrong.

Either way, he didn’t have much choice but to hurry the arrangements for retreat, but—

At that moment, a beast’s growl roared to the flank of the soldiers heading out to act as Ax’s cover.

“What?!”

Glistening scales scorched the colour of the flames spewing from Apta fortress flew into Ravan Dol’s view. At the same time, the dragon cavalry together with their Tengo began flopping over sideways. The dragons’ cries shook Ravan’s ears.

It was an ambush. Ravan could hardly believe the sight before him. Seven Baians were being excellently controlled through the reins of the soldiers riding them and overwhelming their dragons. That cleverness was something, but what alarmed Ravan most above all was how the dragons laid dormant in a part of the fortress until now.

''Our dragons have charged their walls and we’ve also bombed them, but in spite of that their dragons did not go out of control and waited firmly for a person to give them directions?'

Even if a strong sedative was used to restrain a dragon’s instinct, that dragon could then hardly be considered usable. However, these Baians, like a well trained horse, rode together with the soldier as one and were cutting through his dragoon cavalry one by one.

Ravan Dol was surprised, but not all his attention was stolen away. By some near unconscious act, he raised his right hand and signaled to his men. The new breed of Yunions lowered their backs and charged with their horns. Yunions were fast. They were the ideal breed for disrupting the battlefield. In that opening, Ravan called back the large-framed Sozos and prepared to encircle the enemy.

''Piiii''

At that moment, a loud whistle pierced through the dragons’ rumbling tremors. Ravan turned with a start to look its direction and saw a figure on the fortress’ third level. She bore the appearance of a young girl. That girl lifted her arm up.

On doing so, the Baians that were beginning to lose their chain of command and being pushed back by the Yunion’s assault quickly spread out, some smashing into nearby storage houses to dodge the Yunions’ horns. They bore their fangs at the Yunions, but their scales were tough. The soldiers riding above swung their dragon spears thrusting the Baians’ soft necks.

During that time, several Baians and two-fold the number of Faes appeared dashing towards the Taulian Sozos.

Ravan put his brain to full speed and tried to give out commands, but with the dragoons in turmoil no matter the plan it would yield little effect. He found his eyes unconsciously drawn to the girl atop the balcony.

''That girl—C-Could she be...''

The dragons’ roars and the clash of ringing metals above the dragons’ backs filled the front of the fortress’ courtyard.



Ax ran as if being driven away by the flames and tremors. The number of soldiers following behind him had likely decreased to under half. Most had strayed off along the way. Right as he escaped the area surrounding the Lord’s Chambers, Ax violently spewed out.

''D-Damn you!''

His eyes and throat ached, having been smeared by smoke and dust. But he currently didn’t even have time to rest. A never before tasted anger fanned a greater flame in his chest than the one enveloping the castle.

''Curse you, Mephius! Curse you, Gil!! Remember this. Now that it’s come to this, I couldn’t give a damn about Garda or the other provinces in Tauran. I’ll dedicate my lifetime from now on all to shredding your limbs pieces to pieces.''

Following one of his subordinates leading the way, he tried to get out the castle heading east. However, before he could even go ten metres, he stopped his feet in a garden at the castle keep’s edge. The corpses of his soldiers lay in a pool of blood.

“You bastard.” Ax grit his teeth.

Across on the opposite side was a group of airships and his sworn enemy, Mephius’ crown prince Gil Mephius. Mephian soldiers lined in a row to his sides with their guns pointed.

The wind carried the heat of the flames grazing Ax’s face.

“I commend you in staying alive, Lord Ax Bazgan.”

“What?” 

“If you had died, things would have turned slightly bothersome. I give my gratitude to your strong fortune.” Gil Mephius, or in other words Orba, said in a bone-chilling voice. Having climbed up the cliff’s path, they received report from the airship squadron’s messenger and after confirming Ax’s path of retreat, laid in ambush. 

“Your trusty dragon cavalry are also being pinned by our forces. You won’t be getting any help. This is it.”

He had already given the signal and the Dhum’s bombardment came to a stop.

''They did well to hold out.''

The cruiser Krau drove had also came to Dhum’s rescue and catching the Taulian cruiser in a pincer, showered it in cannonfire from the side. The Taulian ship set on fire with a roar.

As for Ax, he struggled frantically to prevent the power from leaving his legs.

“Things will become troublesome if I die, you say? Weren’t you aiming for my head? What could you hope for that you would go as far as raze your own fortress?”

“Exchanging it for your life, Lord Bazgan, would be a bit too large a compensation,” Orba smiled and then continued.

“Even if you were to be gone, the prided Bazgan family would not surrender. In fact, there is a greater likelihood our blood family will fight it out until the last one left.”

“O-Of course we would.”

Even at this time he held his chest out without shedding the Bazgan family’s dignity.

“That is why what I desire is a friendly relation with Taulia.”

“...What did you say?”

At that moment, feeling another presence Ax quickly turned around to find enemy soldiers advancing on him from behind. Pashir and his infantry had made it seem they were being pushed back by the enemy when in fact they waited standby underground. A battle of swords took place, but the Taulian morale was low and in under several minute’s passing Ax had entirely lost his path of escape. Moreover, just as Pashir seemed to move up forward, he grabbed Ax by the arms and shoulder, pinning him down. The overly smooth display of movements made even Ax forget to put up resistance for a moment.

“You! You bastard! Unhand me! Friendly relations?! What do you think you’re spouting...Ah!!!”

In this situation where Ax’s neck could be cut off any moment, the reason for Ax’s cry and his turning pale was because of the fan that had been taken from his waist. In the time he repeatedly screamed ‘Give it back!’ with neither shame nor repute, Pashir presented the fan to Gil Mephius.

“''This'' will be the hostage, Lord Bazgan.”

“Wh-What!”

“You are not one to bend your knees down to Mephius even were you about to lose your life here. However, losing the very symbol of the Bazgan House would not only cease your prided bloodline but also its history. And it would be by none other than your incompetence.”

Ax tore his eyes open in a burst of anger but he eventually lost all protest and dropped his head. He certainly did not fear dying here. However that was because he could believe his bloodline could continue on together alongside the Bazgan House. Having lost the Sovereign’s Seal that was practically the very symbol of the Bazgan House, he would not be able to face neither his great ancestors nor his descendants.

What Gil said, that ‘If you had died things would turn slightly bothersome’ meant how either way even if Ax lost his life, Gil would have taken the Sovereign’s Seal and used it to threaten the leading men of Taulia. In other words even if Ax chose to bravely die here, it would merely affect the time spent threatening Taulia. A death gone wasted.

“It isn’t a bad deal for you either.”

The sounds of combat were already starting to settle. And yet, a great number of men ran about possibly more than did during wartime exchanging shouts working to extinguish the fortress fires. That had more than anything brought Ax the painful realisation that the battle was already over.

“A few days from now, I will be leaving Apta for a short time but I’ll keep this fan at hand. Don’t be getting any weird thoughts. After I return to Apta I don’t mind even considering giving a hand in helping you unify the West. The fan should also eventually return to the hands of its rightful owner.” 

The wind blew. Sparks scattered fluttering between Gil and Ax.

Ax’s battered army were hunted through the fortress and captured. Amongst them were the young general Bouwen and also the strategist Ravan Dol.



Not too long after, Orba personally turned towards airship ports and received the gallant men. Coming down first from the cruiser was Krau. Orba’s lips grew slightly open at her unsteadily climbing down the rungs while soldiers on both her left and right supported her plump body.

“Good work,” Orba thanked Krau. “You did well to return and rescue the Dhum.”

“Well of course. I’ve braved danger countless times flying low altitude through the Tsaga Mines. I’ve something an apprenticeship, an apprenticeship.”

Flying a ship in a battlefield of flying bullets and shells must have been very different. Tears were in the corners of her eyes and her blood completely gone from her face.

“Yeah right,” a soldier quietly grumbled beside her. “You clung to that rudder. As if you had any intention of going back. When you heard the order, you kept crying out ‘I’ve had enough!’ Wasn’t it when the messenger raised the reward that your eyes lit up and you quickly turned around?”

Pretending not to hear that, Orba patted the shoulders of each of the soldiers coming down from the ship and said, 

“I’ve put casks of wine by the courtyard. Once the fires have been put out you can all eat and drink to your heart’s content.”

Soon enough, the Dhum also descended slowly onto the runway. Orba likewise patted the mens’ and officers’ shoulders and gave their words of encouragement. When he caught a glance of the captain’s face,

“Hou, your face has matured into a man’s,” Orba murmured. Although young, he was a man six years elder to Orba. However, the captain gave an embarrassed smile at having been directly praised by the ‘Prince Gil’.

“I owe it to Her Royal Highness.”

“The princess?”

“Vileena-sama holds the spirit of a Mephian warrior. It may be presumptuous of me, but she is a person befitting the prince.”

“Keep talking.”

After lightly patting the captain and sending him off, Orba screwed up his eye to look at Vileena who was now climbing down the ladder.

Her firm strides were as always. Her straightened back as well. Orba revealed an expression of relief.

“As expected of the princess loved by Garbera’s skies. Tales of your feats this time will be spread widely through the world, possibly more than mine. The soldiers also seem to have been won over. Like this, won’t the princess have the Mephian soldiers leave me behind and go for Garbera at a single command even without going as far as to threaten me—”

Speaking in his usual frivolous tone, he stopped talking with with a ‘Whoa’. The princess had finished her final stepping and began to fall down. Orba hurried to support her and caught her arms in an embrace.

“Princess, are you injured? Princess—Princess?”

Orba gripped her shoulders when he noticed. The young girl’s frail shoulders were shaking.

“What are you saying?”

Orba was again surprised in a different meaning by the voice he heard coming from under his chest. It was like a cry.

“What are you saying, prince? I’ve fulfilled the promise. You will absolutely, absolutely lead your army personally to Garbera, do you understand?”

“I-I know. That was a joke just now.”

“Joke?”

Vileena raised her head. Her dumbstruck face and clear rounded eyes were like that of a baby girl’s. “Y-Yeah,” Orba nodded. Just as he thought Vileena would suddenly burst at him, she broke out into an uncontrollable laughter.

“P-Princess.”

“F-fufufu, ahahaha, I had thought this before. but the prince’s jokes aren’t the singlest bit interesting. Even if you are genius at getting under your opponent’s skin, you’re, a-hahaha, h-horrible at, making others laugh.”


''Aren’t you laughing right now?''

Orba let go of the princess’ shoulders in disbelief. Orba had seen ''this'' countless times from starting gladiators right after their match. They would be freed from a fear or pressure that chipped off some of their life which wasn’t bad in itself, but the sudden uplift would be too much for their emotions to come together and they would enter an exalted state.

''It seems I really made her have a frightening experience.''	

No matter how brave a princess, she was still a girl premature in her years.

“My predictions also seem to have been naive. It was outside my list of possibilities the enemy ship would turn around that quickly. Because of my incompetence, I’ve caused the princess hardships—”

“Gil-sama.”

Vileena interrupted Gil, not seeming to listen to a single bit of what he was saying. When he turned to look into her eyes, he saw they shone with a sparkle as if stars were embedded inside.

“W-What is it?”

“I would like to learn how to fly an air carrier.”

“What?!”

“If I learn how to operate not only ships but also large air carriers I would be able to feel much closer to the sky, and it would also allow me to become more helpful in the coming battles. Going to a school for advanced pilots now would be difficult, but perhaps there may be someone here who could instruct me. It would be an inconvenience to trouble the men of the Imperial Guards, but...aah, yes, that woman named Krau. How would she do?”

''Even if you ask me that...''

Orba moved his hands over his bangs and wiped off his sweat.

The cries of voices giving instructions for repair work, the ringing chorus of voices ordering drinks in toast, and the soldier’s exhilarant triumphant cries that sounded almost like a beast’s howls could be heard coming from the fortress.

Like this, the battle with Taulia signaled an end.


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