Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume4 Chapter7 (section)

=== Part 3 ===

Upon seeing the almost total annihilation of Belmor's troops, Eric's face once more lost all colour.

Controlling his own anger, he had his troops, which were about to rush into the mêlée, stand down then somehow managed to get them into a battle formation. But beyond Gil and Zenon's forces, a large number of airships and riders came into sight. It was the main force launched from Zaim.

Ende still had the numerical advantage, but no matter what strategies they used, their momentum had been completely lost as Belmor's unit had been trampled down and defeated. Furthermore, in the sky, things were also tending towards the enemy's side. Their airships having been destroyed by the Garberan ones, these had joined the fortress in vigorously bombarding the Venu. If the Venu retreated, Belmor's ship Regin would be attacked by Mephius' warship and by Garbera's airships.

His skull pounding as though it were about to be split open from the incessant sound of bombardments coming from the sky, Eric clenched his fists and shook.

"My Lord."

"Lord Eric, the order to charge!"

''I can't''.

The words he intended to speak were drowned out by the roar of artillery fire. No, it was probably that Eric himself couldn't come to firm decision and was hesitating. A charge would lead to a large-scale war of attrition. Moreover, the momentum was held by the enemy. But if they retreated, Eric and his followers from Dairan would become laughing stocks in their own country. Not only had Belmor appeared to have been taken captive, but he wouldn't be able to face those who had died.

Then, in the dark, overcast sky, a white airship came flying. It flew a flag of black crossed with white. 

"My Lord, that..."

When Eric looked in the same direction as his subordinate, a somewhat doubtful expression crossed his face.

That was a signal shared throughout the centre of the continent – the meaning was that the ship was a messenger from the enemy.


Half an hour later.

As though to wash away the blood of the victims that still clung to the earth, rain had begun falling from the sky.
The Garberan forces in addition to the main force from Zaim had arranged themselves in a battle formation while on the other side, the dispersed Endean soldiers had also entirely regrouped into files. Although they had bought time, both sides were unmoving, paying careful attention to the enemy.

The commanders-in-chief of both armies were inside the Nouzen fortress.


Eric Amon Doria of Ende.

Zenon Owell of Garbera and also, having hastened with reinforcements from Mephius, Gil Mephius.

It was Gil who had proposed the meeting, offering as terms to release the captured Belmor and his subordinates. After exchanging the conventional greetings, the three of them fell silent for a while. Only the incessant sound of the rain, as it beat down with ever growing fury then suddenly grew calm again, could be heard.

Whenever the eyes of the two other than Gil met, they immediately averted them. For Eric's part, he felt like rebuking Mephius for having appeared to reinforce the enemy. However, since Mephius was ostensibly tied in an alliance with Garbera, there was nothing unnatural about their actions and Eric wanted to avoid committing the folly of publicly revealing the secret agreement between himself and Emperor Guhl Mephius.

On the other side, Zenon felt like rebuking Eric for throwing aside the vows of friendship sworn with Grand Duke Malchio. However, as it was Garbera that had annulled the alliance through a wedding to Princess Vileena, despite being the first to suggest it, he too was not in a strong position in this meeting.

And as for Gil, he had his back turned to both of them and kept gazing at the scenery outside the fortress. After the three of them had spent fully ten minutes like that, he turned around and approached them.

Because of the rain, the inside of the room was dim and gloomy, and the three people's faces were enveloped in shadows.

"First thing first, both of you are extremely skilled," Gil said abruptly. "I heard the details of the battle from both of your soldiers earlier. For I who am inexperienced in leading an army to war, it was very educational."

Zenon and Eric both looked stunned.
[[Image:Rakuin no Monshou v04 275.jpg|thumb]]

"You surely didn't call this meeting to tell us that." Eric said in a raspy, subdued voice. "Did you think that when Mephius arrived, my army would swear allegiance without resistance? We'll return to our camps and settle this right now." 
 
"Those are my lines," Zenon sneered. "Since Lord Eric has taken the trouble of leaving his own country and travelling all the way to Garbera to be defeated here.  His lordship still needs to be schooled in Garberan ways."

If Zenon was the light, Eric was the shadow. Be it their expressions or their tone of voice, such was the difference of impression between the two of them. But in the contents of what they said, they closely resembled one another. Wearing a smile, Gil said,

"It can't be the wish of either Garbera or Ende to turn their entire countries into theatres of warfare. So how about this, in order for me to save face, won't you be reconciled here and now"

"Save the prince of Mephius' face?" Eric's ever sombre expression darkened even further with the shadow of hatred. "What are you talking about? You have some nerve when your country puts no weight on its agreements!"

"Exactly right!"

They both had different reasons for their indignation but because neither could voice them outright, there was a certain humour to the situation. Zenon wanted to reproach Gil for arriving late with reinforcements, but since those reinforcements were originally due to a personal promise between Gil and Noue, they weren't something formally agreed upon by the two countries. Because Zenon had also taken the attitude that they couldn't be counted on, he couldn't openly say anything now.

Then,

"I am not my father, Guhl Mephius."

At Gil's blunt statement, both of them seemed to go ''Oops'' and, overawed, they held their tongues. They recognised that the emperor of Mephius was going to calmly watch this war unfold in defiance of the alliances, and their remarks were in criticism of that emperor.

Before the two of them, who could not judge his real intentions, could say anything,

"I myself hurried to the battlefield in this way simply because I wish to maintain the alliance with Garbera. At the same time, I do not want to get into further trouble with Ende. Lord Eric, just now, you mentioned an agreement."

"N-No, I..." Eric looked sour. As the prince had himself said that he was different from the emperor, Eric had thought that his secret agreement with the emperor had become public knowledge. From the crown prince and Garbera's points of view, that would surely come across as “foul play”.  

While Eric, unable to say anything, broke out into a cold sweat, the crown prince said something unexpected.

"Well, though I don't remember Mephius having exchanged any formal agreement with Ende at the moment. Ah, but if you mean in a private sense, there was a letter from your brother, Lord Jeremie..."

"What did you say?"

This time, it was Gil who remained silent. The now openly angry Eric seemed about to press Gil for an explanation.

"What was that you said? What kind of agreement did you say exists between my brother Jeremie and Mephius?"

"I'm repeating myself but it isn't anything official. It should be something similar to what you hinted at just now."

Lord Eric suddenly stopped moving. He drew his thick brows together.

"I can't be. That my brother would stir up Mephius and then with my back turned..."

His imaginings made his body and heart feel cold. Even though he realised that his unconcernedly moving his army to Garbera had in no way been at his brother's instigation, it had come to this.

"Well then," Gil cleared his throat and once again gazed out at the scenery made hazy from the rain, "whatever secret agreement may exist, I don't wish to step any further into Ende's internal affairs. Nor do I think it is a good idea to spill any more blood."

"How much faith can we place in your words?"  Prince Zenon of Garbera shook his head. His handsome features had a firm look that made him resemble his little sister. "Crown prince or not, Emperor Guhl is still in excellent health. Furthermore, it's been suggested that you and the emperor are by no means of the same mind. No, it is not only you. Neither Lord Eric nor I are eldest sons. It is not possible for we who will not become sovereigns to trust each other and pull up camp."

"If we can't believe in each other's "heart", how about believing in each other's "benefit"?"

"What?"

"For example, recently in my own country, there was a certain amount of turmoil during the Founding Festival.  Although this may be rude, I believe Garbera has also experienced something similar."

"..."

Gil implicitly alluded to the affair with Zaat, then to the one with Ryucown,

"It seems to me that the three people here should first be turning their attention to the situation inside their own country. Otherwise, ill-intentioned people from the east, or perhaps from the west might take advantage of the turmoil to extend their grasp to the three countries. On the other hand, neither Garbera nor Ende have anything to gain from further fighting – as things are now."

Gil turned his eyes towards Ende's prince. Still reeling from shock over the matter with his brother, Eric felt as though his innermost thoughts had been seen right through and glared at Gil for a moment then immediately averted his eyes. After that, Gil this time turned his gaze towards Zenon.

"And so the alliance between Mephius and Garbera remains unshaken. Does it not?"

"A tripartite alliance?" Zenon sighed so as not to reveal his inner surprise. "What an outrageous thing you've come up with. We can't enter into an alliance with only the three of us."

"It's not something as complicated as you're thinking of. We won't be exchanging written oaths of everlasting alliances. The "benefit" of all three countries is to pull up camp. That is enough for now."

While they still had their own thoughts on the matter, both Eric and Zenon put an end to their harsh moods and the three people reached a definite conclusion.

"The rest is a problem for another time," seeing how things had progressed, Gill lightly returned to his previous attitude. "There will be no further pointless waste of lead bullets, arrows and human lives. With this, we can go back."

At that point, Zenon, his face calm, took a shot in revenge at the Mephian prince.

"Prince Gil."

"What is it?"

"Incidentally, do you get along well with my younger sister Vileena?"

Gil chocked violently at the abrupt question.

"Y-Yes" Looking over his shoulder, Gil blushed a little and nodded. "Both in Solon and at the time of the war with Taúlia, her brave actions were a great help."

"Ho," Zenon's smile seemed to say that it stood to reason. "Certainly it being Vileena, she would show peerless heroism for the man who won her. But if you mishandle her, she'll murder you in your sleep."

"I ''get it'' already."

"Farewell," Zenon's smile grew wider, "Prince Gil Mephius. When a date for the wedding ceremony is officially decided, I will personally rush over as envoy to offer my congratulations.  At that time, do call me your brother."

He was a man who exuded royalty in all things.

Still looking back over his shoulder, Gil allowed a small smile to flit across his face, then left.