Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume5 Chapter6 (section)

=== Part 3 ===

In the middle of the night, Yamka II, the king of Cherik, was woken up as he was sleeping with his favourite concubine. It was with irritated feelings that he opened the door but when he heard the soldier's report, he staggered against the wall in surprise.

A large army was said to be advancing on them from Taúlia. The troop of seven hundred that were encamped at the border could only warn Taúlia's army not to cross over it then stand back without firing a single arrow or bullet.

"D-Damn you, Ax. You've gone mad."

At thirty-three, Yamka was still young. However, his hair was thinning and though his features resembled those of his sister Marilène, they were so slack that even that resemblance might change if only a single one those features were altered. 

Cherik was tied to Garda. And it was as Ravan had guessed: Yamka believed that as long as he did what he had been told by holding Taúlia in check, then good luck would tumble his way even if he did nothing but sleep from then on.

For Taúlia to go so far as to risk a dangerous attack and to send soldiers to Cherik...

''I-Is he angry? Has Ax decided that there's nothing to be done against Garda's army so he will at least take the h-he-head of Cherik's king?
''
Otherwise, he would not be pouring all of his armed strength in their direction.

"Your Majesty, what do we do?"

"Please make a decision. The enemy is approaching the border fortress of Yāma. The soldiers must receive their orders, whether to fight or to retreat, so that they do not die in vain."

The ministers too were nothing but agitated and unreliable. Although Yāma was a fortress protecting the border, its defensive capacities were so poor that its barrier was covered in dust. Even though the seven hundred soldiers who had retreated were said to now all be crammed into it, if the enemy was determined to pass, they were only expected to last an hour.

"Send a messenger to Helio. With changes of airships and horses, they can quickly..."

It had already been done half an hour ago, but Ravan Dol's scouts had already set fire to the post station for the horses. And when they had run to fetch an airship, they had found that the ether had run out.

In any case, even if the messenger returned with good news, it would take a while. Cherik's king was pressed to make a decision regarding the enemy who was drawing towards their gates.

"O-Oh to hell with it!"

Yamka II's swarthy cheeks turned red and he banged his fist upon the table. As things were, they could do nothing but offer peace negotiations to Taúlia. It was terrible to have to betray Garda and it was disappointing to lose the hard-won chance to have the name of their tiny state of Cherik resound throughout the entire region of Tauran, but they couldn't turn straw into gold.

"W-writing im-implements for a letter."

With that, it was decided that Yamka would write a letter offering peace negotiations. ''Deplorable'', thought the ministers but even so, they could find no other solution out of this situation. Yamka's writing brush dashed along the page while his face showed nothing but anxiety.

''Should I hand over the joint development rights to the Soma grain-producing region?
''
That a tiny power such as Cherik was somehow rich was thanks to Lake Soma. It was heartrending to part with it, but if they didn't Ax might not forgive them.

His eyes grew blurry as he wrote. Wretched at having wasted the concessions over Lake Soma that his father and grandfather had long fought Helio over, he couldn't help but unconsciously shed tears. And then,

"Your Majesty!"

A soldier barged in. Yamka II almost flew up from his chair. Had Ax finally toppled the fortress, he wondered, and was he even now on the march? However,

"Troops are approaching from the direction of Helio! From the number of lights they are carrying, it's probably Garda's army!"

"What?"

His tears dried up and in their place his entire countenance light up with joy as Yamka II stood up.

"R-Reinforcements. The lord sorcerer has kept his faith and instead of proceeding directly to Taúlia has hurried to our rescue. Right, in that case, we will pull back the soldiers from Yāma Fortress. We will draw the enemy to the outskirts of Cherik and catch them in a pincer movement along with Garda's forces."

His earlier wretchedness had vanished without a trace and now he was giving orders in a voice as bold as that of a long-serving general.

The vassals were in equally joyful spirits.

"That damn Ax is underestimating us."

"We'll show you that the light and lineage of the Bazgan House no longer hold any power in Tauran."

The stone castle was suddenly wrapped in a strange liveliness.


A few hours earlier, troops under Moldorf's command had raced out of Helio so quickly that they appeared to be flying. Their speed was such that from behind, all that could be perceived was a billowing cloud of dust.
That was because,

"If Bazgan dies and Taúlia falls, this battle will be over," said the hooded staff officer who had accompanied Greygun as he looked at each of the commanders in turn with a hint of contempt. "When the battle ends, Lord Garda will release the inhabitants of each city. And of course everyone's family and friends as well."

"Is that true?"

Moldorf was going to press him further, but a strange feeling of pressure prevented him from forming his words. But there was a fierce light in his eyes as they alone glared at the man.

"Of course," the man answered matter-of-factly. "Once Taúlia has fallen and Ax Bazgan is dead, it will be tantamount to saying that all the western lands of Tauran will belong to Lord Garda. After that, the enemies will be in the east: Mephius, Ende and Garbera. For that purpose, your assistance will be needed more than ever before."

''Tch. Arrant nonsense!
''
Moldorf's face, which was normally so stern as to make him unapproachable, was now so stiff a child might go into convulsions just from looking at him.

But not matter how nonsensical it was, Moldorf had family left in Kadyne. For their release he would risk his life, no, more than his life, he would throw away his warrior's soul in this battle that had to be won.

The troops had left the outskirts of Helio and even the cloud of dust had finally cleared, when the guards on lookout from among the soldiers left in the city strained their eyes eastwards.

"Oi, look at that."

The ridgeline of the eastern Belgana Summits was bright red under the night sky. In that direction lay the fort which Ebra and a hundred men should have been occupying.

The soldiers' faces turned pale.

"No way. Is it a detached force from Taúlia?”

"Go and inform Lord Greygun!"

Currently, only Greygun's seven hundred or so troops remained in Helio. On his orders, soldiers were arrayed near the city's open east gate and people flurried in and out of it.

As they passed through the gate and entered the city, several soldiers clad in the armour and helmets of the Red Hawks raised their eyes to the scouts' airships that were flying off. At the front of that group that walked with heads down was none other than the former commander of Helio's dragoons, Lasvius himself.

According to Orba's plan, if they set fire to the fortress, the gates' surroundings would be overflowing with soldiers and it would be easy to get in and out.

A flood of emotions welled within Lasvius' breast as he passed through the gate doors wearing the Red Hawks' insignia.

"Oi," a Red Hawks mercenary called out to their group. Lasvius' face grew stiff under his helmet.

A soldier at the end of the line turned around.

"What?"

"It's about strengthening the watch on the Helio soldiers. Even if we take their families hostage, those kinds of soldiers won’t be any use if it comes to a defensive battle. There's no saying when they'll betray us."

"Got it."

"Wait. That's a pretty high and mighty way of speaking. You, what platoon are you from?"

The mercenary was openly angry. He appeared to be of some sort of platoon leader rank. At the front, Lasvius clicked his tongue. The would attract attention from all sides if they acted suspicious and got into a fight.

''Should we run instead?''

Helio was their birthplace. Once they entered it, they would naturally be familiar with its layout. They might be better off making a desperate for it from here and hiding themselves somewhere then...

"Who am I?" Instead of revealing the face under his helmet, the soldier who had been dealing with the mercenary since earlier on glared at him. "Did Lord Greygun especially ask you to check who I am? I don't mind. Let's both go and bother Lord Greygun about something so trivial during this emergency, why don't we?"

"Ah, n-no. Sorry. My bad."

He must have been truly afraid of Greygun. The mercenary hastily fled from the vicinity of the gate.

Lasvius quietly approached the soldier,

"You're a bold guy."

"The Red Hawks don't share a bond like your unit. By observing the leader, you can guess what an organisation's real situation is like," answered Orba. He had of course taken off his mask as he now wore a Red Hawks helmet.

With Lasvius as first on the list, five dragoons as well as Orba had been chosen to enter the urban areas of Helio.

''I'm back'', as Lasvius walked step by step along the flagstone road, he was shaken by that thought that welled within him. But for now, he had to hide his face and identity and stealthily make his way along. 

''The day will come when we make our triumphant return and openly walk along this street with our heads held high''. During the hungry and miserable days in those dark caves, Lasvius had held to that one belief. Even though he had to throw away his pride as a dragoon, his chest burnt with the resolve that they must at all cost greet that day's arrival.

''This night has ended. And now, "that day" that we believed in has arrived''.

Lasvius' group went down the side streets and, as had already been agreed, linked up with a number of his subordinates who had already penetrated into the city. After that and under their guidance, they split up into several groups. One group which would free Helio's regular soldiers, one which would first make preparations for causing an uprising within the city, and one which would infiltrate the royal court.

Orba was part of the last group.



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